Four Queen’s alumni have made this year’s list of Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30 list.
The influential magazine honours 600 business and industry figures, with 30 selected in 20 different categories.
Here’s what Forbes said about these four influential Queen’s alumni for their contributions to the fields of technology, skincare, sports media, and wine.
Benjamin Maxwell, Sc'19
Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Pulsenics - Manufacturing & Industry
Maxwell, along with Mariam Awara, are cofounders of Pulsenics, which develops technology that monitors real-time electrochemical changes at industrial facilities. The technology allows site operators to reduce downtime, maintenance, and system inefficiencies that account for around 10 to 15 per cent of the total energy used at industrial sites.
Connie Lo, Com'15, GDA'15
Co-Founder, Three Ships – Retail & Ecommerce
Frustrated by expensive skincare and misleading labels, Lo, along with co-partner Laura Burget – pooled their savings in 2017 to start Three Ships, a vegan, natural skincare brand. While manufacturing began in Lo's Toronto apartment, products are now sold in more than 700 brick-and-mortar stores, including Target, Whole Foods and Hudson's Bay. The brand is on track to hit $4 million in revenue in 2021. You can learn more about Lo by reading her 2021 profile in Smith Magazine. Lo was also a featured panellist at Smith’s Queen's Venture Network – The Virtual Reality of Growing Remotely event last year.
Farzeen Ghorashy, Com'15
Chief Strategy and Financial Officer, Overtime – Sports
Ghorashy has overseen the expansion of sports media company Overtime from 25 to 250 employees and its three fundraising rounds in that time, which brought in more than $140 million. Ghorashy was also on the team that launched Overtime Elite, the company's new professional basketball league, and serves on its board.
David Kong, Com'14, Artsci'14
Founder, Somm.ai – Food & Drink
Kong quit his job as a New York City hedge-fund investor to join the wine industry. His premium hand-blown wine-glass company launched in 2020 and is now used by award-winning restaurants including Kato, Crown Shy, and several owned by the Major Food Group. Kong also founded Somm.ai, a sales and data-analytics tool used by wine companies such as Paul Hobbs, Kistler, Vintus, and Silver Oak. During his time at Queen’s, Kong led the editorial team for The Queen’s Business Review (QBR).
To view the full 30 Under 30 lists, visit the Forbes website.
