Pioneering Gen Z Entrepreneurs: Reflections and Policy Considerations

Entrepreneurs change the way we think, work and live. Around the globe, inspiring young people are building successful companies around ideas that are driven by their ambitions and enabled by their entrepreneurial skills and values. Generation Z – referring to people born after 1997 – is reshaping our economies with its distinctive approaches to work and entrepreneurship.

The highly successful Gen Z entrepreneurs showcased in this study exhibit the kind of resilience and optimism that epitomizes a positive psychology mindset. If fostered widely, this could significantly benefit entrepreneurial culture. Young founders have no trouble revealing their vulnerabilities to colleagues; they pay close attention to their own mental health and consciously practice optimism even in the face of failure. Encouraging and empowering the next generation of sustainable entrepreneurs should be in everyone’s interest.

This policy paper seeks to identify key drivers and barriers affecting young entrepreneurs committed to sustainability and innovation. To do so, it uses a focused case study centered on the fellows of the Sigma Squared Society, a network of founders under 26 years of age with over 800 members globally. The paper is informed by a quantitative survey of the Society’s members and supplemented with in-depth interviews of six fellows, selected on the basis of their active engagement in innovative sustainable ventures.

This policy paper seeks to identify key drivers and barriers affecting young entrepreneurs committed to sustainability and innovation. To do so, it uses a focused case study centered on the fellows of the Sigma Squared Society, a network of founders under 26 years of age with over 800 members globally. The paper is informed by a quantitative survey of the Society’s members and supplemented with in-depth interviews of six fellows, selected on the basis of their active engagement in innovative sustainable ventures.