Where Innovation Reigns: 2024 Forbes Under 30 Summit Recap

The 2024 Forbes Under 30 Summit descended on Cincinnati September 22-25, which marks the second of three stops the globally recognized event will make in the Buckeye State over a three-year period. Last year’s Summit was hosted in Cleveland, and the event will make its way to Ohio’s capital city of Columbus in 2025. The Under 30 Summit attracts young leaders from across the globe, including the Forbes Under 30 Class of 2024 national and local Cincinnati listers. The event, presented by JobsOhio, was held at Cincinnati’s Andrew J. Brady Center and featured speakers across diverse industries, exclusive networking opportunities, and an inaugural Forbes event highlighting women leaders in the sports industry. The Summit had thousands of in-person attendees representing 44 states and 66 countries, and nearly 60 percent traveled to Cincinnati from out of state.

Celebrating Local Entrepreneurs

JobsOhio kicked off the Summit by celebrating the Under 30 Local Cincinnati honorees at a welcome reception held at The Filson. Here, the bright minds changing the future of business in Ohio and beyond had the opportunity to meet with local stakeholders, including Ohio State Senator Catherine Ingram, Ohio State Representative Dani Isaacsohn, Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus, City of Cincinnati Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney, REDI Cincinnati President and CEO Kimm Lauterbach, and network with fellow Under 30 listers that call Ohio home. The Forbes Under 30 Local Cincinnati Class of 2024 includes Hannah Sagel, Brand Director, Procter & Gamble; Molly Rizkallah, CEO, Cincy Carbon; Benny Russert, Director, Vitis Technologies; Emil Barr, Founder, Step Up Social and many more.

JobsOhio continued conversations with local Cincinnati listers and listers who call places like NYC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Miami, and Toronto home at the Summit’s Lister Lounge, where all things Ohio were on full display. Here, JobsOhio team members Ian Andrew, Jordan Tyler, Molly Moses, and Christina Misali had the opportunity to connect with entrepreneurs to discuss their business goals and how Ohio and its workforce can play a role in their continued success.

Big Dreams. Big Impact.

The Forbes Under 30 Class of 2024 national listers raised over $3.6 billion in funding. They represent 600 businesses across 20 industries and have a combined social media following of over 780 million. The first full day of the Summit kicked off with JobsOhio President and CEO JP Nauseef and Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted welcoming attendees to Ohio. Husted shared insight on the positive momentum happening in Ohio, with 60 companies moving to Ohio in the past five years, and offered a glimpse at how the state’s innovative companies are contributing to the economy of the future.

Attendees also heard from a lineup of notable speakers, including:

• Joe Buck, Monday Night Football Play-by-Play Commentator, ESPN
• Bill Shufelt, Cofounder & CEO, Athletic Brewing Company
• Beatrice Dixon, Cofounder & CEO, The Honey Pot Company
• Ankur Jain, Founder & CEO, Bilt Rewards
• Ken Chenault, Former Chairman & CEO, American Express

As an extension of the Under 30 Summit, Forbes hosted a first-of-its-kind Women in Sports event, which examined the dynamic forces propelling women’s sports into an unprecedented era of expansion and growth. The event was held at Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium, home to FC Cincinnati, and speakers included 2x WNBA Champion and Atlanta Dream Co-owner Renee Montgomery, U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team Forward Midge Purce, U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone and more.

A sign for the Forbes Under 30 Summit and networking space was located outside the Andrew J. Brady Center, offering ample space to take in scenic views of the Queen City. The JobsOhio Beverage System’s Ohio Liquor (OHLQ) brand was featured prominently throughout the event space as part of the JobsOhio sponsorship. OHLQ activations, including networking events and non-alcoholic hydration stations, were executed in partnership with global spirit supplier Pernod Ricard. The activations offered an opportunity to showcase how the JobsOhio funding model fuels economic development projects throughout the state. Other programming included an opening night music festival with performances by Shaboozey, DJ Metro Boomin, and Cincinnati native and DJ Xandra, a food truck festival, pickleball under the stars, and a guided city crawl. The Summit concluded with a block party at The Banks and an Ohio-themed drone show along the Ohio River that visually depicted how the next generation of young entrepreneurs can Have it All in The Heart of it All.

While the 2024 Forbes Under 30 Summit has concluded, the impact of hosting an audience of young entrepreneurs here in Ohio will be seen for years to come. The Summit is an opportunity to showcase Ohio to a global audience and enhance perceptions of what the state offers in terms of its business climate and quality of life. During the Summit, the JobsOhio team met with entrepreneurs from diverse geographic areas, including the United States, Dubai, Singapore, Jordan, Canada, Mexico, Kenya, India, England, Ecuador, Poland, and Sweden. These connections have the potential to drive future investments into Ohio’s business ecosystem.

Special thanks to Forbes, Lt. Governor Husted, the City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County, REDI Cincinnati, Visit Cincy, the University of Cincinnati, our corporate sponsors, and all those who attended. The future is bright in Ohio, and JobsOhio is setting its sights on another successful Forbes Under 30 Summit in 2025.