This is this week’s ForbesWomen newsletter, which every Thursday brings news about the world’s top female entrepreneurs, leaders and investors straight to your inbox. Click here to get on the newsletter list!
The 14th annual Forbes 30 Under 30 list came out this week—and the 600 young leaders featured in this year’s package are inventing new tech to treat tumors, expanding access to electric vehicle charging, making credit cards more secure, and even dreaming of reflective satellites that could bring the sun out at night.
Collectively, they’ve raised $3.6 billion in funding, boast 300 million cumulative social media followers around the globe and have an average age of 27. Forty-three percent of the list is female (up 1% from last year). The women of the list include AI founders like Demi Guo (the 26-year-old founded Pika, which is valued at $470 million and can turn a simple text prompt or still photo into a film); venture capitalists like 24-year-old Molly Mielke; and actors who happen to have side-gigs in the gold business, like 27-year-old Kathryn Newton.
Newton, by the way, headlines the category that I worked on this year—the Hollywood and Entertainment list. She told Forbes that she didn’t intend to become America’s newest queen of horror movies, but she kept feeling drawn to the genre. “I think horror touches people beyond [what] a romcom does or an action film does, or a fantasy film because horror is real,” Newton said. “You don’t have to be beautiful and you don’t have to be in love to be afraid. And people all know what it’s like to be in the dark and get scared.”
Cheers!
Maggie
P.S.: Due to popular demand, we’ve extended the deadline for 50 Over 50: Global nominations until December 9 at 11:59pm ET. So if you missed the first deadline (December 1), this is your surprise extension—nominate someone using this link today!
Exclusive Forbes Profile: Inside Alex Cooper’s $125 Million Deal To Grow Her Multimedia Empire
Alex Cooper, the 30-year-old Call Her Daddy star, signed a massive contract with SiriusXM in August with the promise of bringing a new generation to the aging satellite network. Prior to signing, Cooper had a $60 million, three-year deal with streaming titan Spotify. But it was time to move on. “The brand had only grown since being at Spotify,” Cooper says. “I knew the money would be there. The deal was more about what other things people can give Call Her Daddy and Unwell (Cooper’s podcast network) that will help us grow.”
ICYMI: News Of The Week
Universal Pictures has revealed that women were paid an average of 6.6% more than men on the crew of Wicked, which is currently casting a spell on the box office around the world. Since its debut the movie has grossed more than $350 million worldwide, according to industry analyst Box Office Mojo, breaking a record for a movie based on a musical.
In 2010, after dedicating most of her career to building a renewable energy business for Honeywell, Jennifer Holmgren was getting ready to retire. But she got a call from the founders of Lanza Tech—which is turning carbon emissions into clothes and jetfuel—asking her to take the reins of their company as its CEO. Holmgren thought she’d do it for “a few years,” but more than a decade later, she’s still in the chief executive seat—and she spoke to ForbesWomen editor Maggie McGrath about her leadership journey and what her business needs to do to make a meaningful impact on the fight against climate change.
New research finds that women are 42% less likely to start a business during a year in which they give birth. Although the effect lessens over time, it never fully returns to pre-birth levels, meaning women who have children remain permanently less likely to start a business.
A political action committee tied to Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence, spent $33,000 in 2024 on her then-newly released book, For Love of Country: Leave the Democrat [Sic] Party Behind. The bulk purchases appear to have helped secure Gabbard a spot on the New York Times best-seller list.
Post-election, many mental health experts have witnessed a startling trend among their female clients: a wave of so-called “high functioning depression.” Women are still showing up at work, fulfilling their responsibilities, and appearing outwardly composed, but beneath the surface, they’re struggling. To learn more about this trend—what’s driving it and what can help those who are struggling—check out ForbesWomen editor Maggie McGrath’s discussion with Mika Brzezinski and Huma Abedin in this Know Your Value segment.
The Checklist
1. Recognize the strengths of your neurodivergent colleagues. New research shows that one in three neurodivergent workers worry they’ll be fired if they share their condition, and one in four have experienced bullying or harassment in the workplace. Here’s how you can best support the neurodivergent members of your team.
2. Use holiday party shop talk to your advantage. If you’re dreading the “how’s work?” questions at holiday parties, you don’t have to go into the gory details—but you CAN use the moment as an opportunity to look for your next step.
3. Soak up the sun. Okay, yes, this is harder if you live in a northern state getting less sunlight right now, but there are ways to beat the winter blues and maintain a positive outlook. Here’s how.
The Quiz
Controversial conservative firebrand Candace Owens was denied a visa to enter New Zealand for a speaking engagement, thanks to the country’s rule that visas cannot be given to a person who has been banned from another nation. Which nation first banned Owens, citing her “capacity to incite discord in almost every direction”?
- Germany
- South Africa
- Brazil
- Australia
Check your answer.