By The Numbers: Meet The Forbes Under 30 Europe Class Of 2020

At a time of great global uncertainty, it is hard to see beyond the doom and gloom. But we hope our fifth annual Forbes Under 30 Europe list delivers a much needed dose of optimism. We aim to highlight the young visionary leaders brashly reinventing business and society. From a Finnish duo turning used coffee beans into sneakers to a Dutch team designing solar powered cars, the ingenuity and creativity Europe’s young entrepreneurs indicates that the best just might be yet to come.

This year’s list is the result of thousands of international nominations, months of investigative reporting and the seal of approval from our panel of expert judges. The result: 300 young visionaries boldly redefining ten industries across 32 European countries (and hailing from an additional 30 non-European countries).

Some might be familiar faces, like 27-year-old Ncuti Gatwa. The Rwandan-born Scottish actor rocketed to prominence in his role as Eric Effiong in Netflix’s ‘Sex Education,’ a dramedy that chronicles high schoolers’ coming-of-age mishaps. Gatwa has been heralded for his honest portrayal of a gay black teenager, which has given visibility to an underrepresented demographic. Additionally, many suspect the show has made an impact off screen: the Welsh government recently made sex education compulsory (the show primarily films in Wales).

Others might be less familiar. Though few may know his name, 29-year-old CEO Hanno Renner cofounded one of Europe’s fastest growing startups Personio. The Munich-based entrepreneur has raised $130 million from the likes of Lightspeed and Index Ventures to helps startups and SMEs better compete for top talent. The human resource platform eliminates administrative tasks (which take up an estimated 42% of an HR professional’s job) so that they can focus on what really matters: the humans.

These are just a few of the inspiring individuals that you can find on this year’s list. Hopefully, they provide a slight reprieve from the daily news.

Below, we break down this year’s list.

30 Under 30 Europe 2020 By The Numbers:

The average age is 27 (the youngest is 11)

64% are founders or cofounders

Raised well over $500 million in funding

Top headquarter locations (countries, in order): UK, Germany, France, Sweden, Spain, Netherlands

Top headquarter locations (cities, in order): London, Paris, Stockholm, Berlin, Copenhagen, Zurich

They work an average of 62 hours per week

83% of honorees consider being under the age of 30 an advantage in their career

The apps they can’t live without (in order): WhatsApp, Spotify, Google Maps, Instagram, Twitter, Slack

No. 1 dream mentors (in order): Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Naval Ravikant, Jeff Bezos, Michelle Obama