2020 vision: tomorrow’s stars

Edie Lush

Who will be the rising stars of the business world by the end of the next decade? We set out to find the Richard Bransons and Charles Dunstones of the next generation – under-25s who already have a track record of business start-ups and social entrepreneurship. Edie Lush talks to ten of them

Marc Burton, 24, partner in London nightclub Whisky Mist

Born and bred in London, by the age of 18 Burton had developed a taste for the capital’s nightlife. When he arrived at Bath University, he was somewhat underwhelmed by the city’s lack of nightlife. He set up VIParties to organise student parties. The business was so successful that in his third year at Bath he was able to pay someone else to run it for him so he could spend a year working in Paris. By his final year, he was travelling to London to host student parties during the holidays and hosting parties for special events such as London Fashion Week. After graduating, he returned home to promote a club in South Kensington. Weeks later he was approached by Nick House, joint-owner of Mahiki, to become club marketing director. House and his partner Piers Adam were already developing plans for another London club: Whisky Mist was born and Burton bought in as a partner. The club has been a roaring success, attracting a clientele including younger members of the Royal family and A-list celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Christine Aguilera. Burton is also developing a line of luxury men’s shoes and hopes to sell them in high-end retailers by early next year.

Richard Simmons, 22, founder and chief executive of Art Is The Cure

After leaving school, Simmons was having a tough time at home while his parents went through a messy divorce. He drifted from one dead-end job to another. He turned to art to escape his problems – he enjoyed designing t-shirts and got a batch made up to sell. Simmons was surprised by how popular they were and decided to launch his own business. He drew up a comprehensive plan and took it to The Prince’s Trust. They were so impressed with his vision and organisational skills that he received a £2,000 loan and a mentor within a month. Two days after Simmons turned 22, he launched Art Is The Cure – a project which promotes art therapy as a way of overcoming depression, self-harm and addiction. The project has already made a huge impact on MySpace and has the potential to be a global success. Simmons hopes to launch a range of clothing, put on gigs and tours, free art workshops, talks in schools, live painting shows and art auctions to raise the profile of the campaign. He hopes that through the project he can help other people who are struggling in the way he did and has received hundreds of phone calls from all over the world from people saying the project has helped them overcome their problems. Doctors have even been in touch to say they have started referring depressed patients to his website.