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

Hermione Way, 23, founder of Newspepper

At its most basic, Newspepper is a broadcast production company. Dig slightly deeper and you’ll find a company with both social and business aims. Founder Hermione Way started the company because she wanted to create a social enterprise which offered media services at affordable prices, while also being a training hub for students to get paid experience as reporters, camera operators, directors and editors. Newspepper’s clients meanwhile get high-quality video production services at a fraction of the price of a corporate production house. Most of Newspepper’s business comes from entrepreneurs, corporate business, established companies and charities who have all made it, but remember what it was like to be starting out.

Lucian Tarnowski, 24, founder of www.BraveNewTalent.com

Tarnowski is behind Brave New Talent, a social networking platform designed to connect talented individuals to future employers. He plans to launch it in the UK and Indian student markets, and hopes eventually to take it global. The business has the backing of a team of successful entrepreneurs with experience in IT, recruitment and finance. Among the team is Ben Way, known for his appearance in the recent television series The Secret Millionaire. In addition to launching Brave New Talent, Tarnowski runs the charity Take Heart India. Through his fundraising efforts, the charity has built an IT school in rural India, which trains hundreds of blind students in IT skills. He is also a Next Generation India advisor to the UK India Business Council, which promotes bilateral trade opportunities between the two countries, and is currently pioneering a foundation for future leaders called The Youngers, in partnership with The Elders initiative, which was formed by Nelson Mandela to articulate new approaches to global issues.