The 2017 Forbes "30 Under 30" list highlights the achievements of some of the most influential and creative minds today. Of the unique and inspiring individuals honored, several graduated from Columbia. Read more about them below.*
LISHAN AZ '12SEAS - GAMING
Game Designer, University of Southern California
A current student in the MFA program at the University of Southern California and a Columbia University alumna, her projects include: On the Safe Side, a game designed to help new students explore the USC campus; Ascension, a turn-based tabletop strategy game; and The Locker, a puzzle game involving a smartphone camera and a physical locker.
LIBBY BRITTAIN '11BC - MEDIA
Partner Strategy Lead for News, Facebook
Brittain headed up editorial development for media startup Branch, which Facebook acquired in 2014. She's since helped Facebook and media companies work together to make the platform a vital tool for publishers. Her current role is at the intersection of Facebook's media partnerships and product teams (including Instant Articles and News Feed).
KRISTINA BUDELIS '11BC - MEDIA
Cofounder, KitSplit
KitSplit makes it faster and easier to get access to camera gear. Budelis, a Barnard alum, now serves as president of KitSplit and does everything from investor relations to community management. KitSplit has more than 7,000 users (including the photo director for Borat) and national media partners like National Geographic, Hearst, and NBC. Prior to founding KitStart, Kristina worked as a freelancer and for The New Yorker, creating work that garnered two Webby Award nominations.
EMMA CLINE '13SOA - MEDIA
Author
With her debut novel The Girls spending 12 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, Cline has received plenty of attention—and cash. She reportedly got a $2 million advance for a three-book series that includes this book, which tells the story of a cult focused on the followers, not the leader.
TSECHU DOLMA '13BC, '15SIPA - SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Founder, Mountain Resiliency Project
A native Tibetan, Dolma founded the Mountain Resiliency Project to address the poverty and food insecurity prevalent in mountain communities. They are working to create stronger communities from within to combat the already apparent impacts of climate change.
ISABELIA HERRERA '14BC - MEDIA
Music Editor, Remezcla
Since taking over as music editor of Remezcla, an English-language publication covering Latino culture, Herrera has expanded the visibility and return rate of her section. Remezcla's music channel contributed to a record 60.45% increase in unique visitors in 2016. Herrera also spearheaded an editorial partnership with NPR, helped supervise Apple Music's first partnership with a Latino curator, and hosted Remezcla's first music podcast.
EMILIA JAVORSKY '08BC - HEALTHCARE
Physician-Scientist, Massachusetts General Hospital
Javorsky's grad school mentor turned the ability to freeze and remove subcutaneous fat into a cosmetic-services business. Now she's trying to do the same on the medical side. Her work has led to a company that is testing a method for freezing fat anywhere in the body, with potential to treat conditions like sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes.
NICOLE MOSKOWITZ '14, '15SEAS - HEALTHCARE
Cofounder and CTO, Intuitap Medical
Spinal taps hurt. IntuiTap wants to streamline the process by using imaging technology, pressure sensors and predictive analytics not only to make spinal taps more accurate, but also to make the process more pleasant for patients. Moskowitz's company is an early-stage, TMC Biodesign spinout developing a handheld device that combines non-invasive imaging with needle guidance to help physicians access the spinal canal for pain-management, obstetric, orthopedic, and emergency procedures.
MATTHEW LOVETT-BARRON '14GSAS - SCIENCE
Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University
Lovett-Barron researches the neuroscience of how brain cells work together to produce states such as alertness, motivation, and emotion. His previous work focused on the hippocampus, the part of the brain concerned with memory and spatial recognition.
SABRINA-NATASHA HABIB '16SIPA
Cofounder, Kidogo
Kidogo is working to improve access to high-quality, affordable, early childhood care and education in East Africa's urban slums. They use a "hub and spoke" model in which best-practice early childhood centers (the "hubs") provide childcare and preschool services. The hubs also serve as models for the "spokes," which are childcare micro-businesses run by local women as part of a social-franchising program.
XIYIN TANG '09CC - LAW & POLICY
Attorney, Mayer Brown
Tang is an intellectual property associate at Mayer Brown, LLC where she focuses on copyright litigation with a focus on digital music and licensing. She has written substantially on evolving trademark and copyright laws and how they intersect with new technologies. She's represented Google, Spotify, and Amazon in copyright law and digital streaming cases. Additionally, she teaches a seminar at Yale Law School on intellectual property in the digital age.
COLIN TOUHEY - ENERGY
CEO, Pvilion
Touhey's Pvilion makes flexible photovoltaic solar products. He has led development of solar-powered fabric for Google, built a sustainable 6,000-square-foot building on the roof of Carnegie Hall, and devised self-erecting robotic Army shelters. Since September 2016, he has been teaching at Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation.
KENDALL TUCKER '14CC - LAW & POLICY
Cofounder, Polis
Tucker is the CEO and Founder of Polis, a startup working to improve mobile canvassing and in-person analytics. Since its founding in October of 2015, Polis has been used by more than 70 organizations including Governor Gary Johnson's campaign for president. Before Polis, Tucker ran state legislative campaigns and was elected to local office.
*All descriptions taken from Forbes.
Did we miss anyone? Let us know and we'll add them—just contact the CAA at [email protected].
Check out the alumni who made last year's list.
We'd also like to extend our congratulations to Serge Yegiazarov '13SEAS. Features put out a similar "30 Under 30" list and the Wall Street software developer made the cut.