Photo collage representing social entrepreneurs Lama Amr (top left), Ikran Mahad (top right), Noé Cabannes Michel (bottom left) and Ninna Norra (bottom right).
In recent years, in an increasingly uncertain world facing new social, economic, and environmental challenges, we have observed a new generation of entrepreneurs. They no longer go to sleep wondering, “How much revenue did we make today?” but rather wake up at dawn asking how many people need their help. From preventing domestic violence to paying homage to literary classics, they innovate on all fronts, placing social and environmental issues at the heart of the business model.
Here is INSCMagazine’s top 9 social entrepreneurs under 30 to watch in 2026, each a powerful example of how passion and purpose can drive systemic change.
- Lama Amr (Palestine), BuildPalestine
Lamar Amar in Montreal, Canada, for the One Young World Summit 2024. © One Young World Summit
Age: 29
Organization: BuildPalestine
Lama Amr stands at the forefront of social innovation in the Middle East. As the co-founder and Executive Director of BuildPalestine, she has created a bridge between global supporters and local changemakers in Palestine. The organization’s mission is to empower grassroots initiatives by providing access to funding, mentorship, and a global network of supporters.
Under Lama’s leadership, BuildPalestine has helped numerous Palestinian entrepreneurs launch social impact projects focused on education, sustainability, and women’s empowerment. Her work highlights how communities under hardship can still cultivate innovation and resilience. In 2026, Lama continues to inspire young changemakers across the region to build solutions from within.
2. Ikran Mahad (Finland), Rights and Minds
Ikran Mahad in Helsinki, Finland, at Ashoka Nordic headquarters in 2025. © Ashoka
Age: 19
Organization: Rights and Minds
Ikran Mahad is a young changemaker from Finland making waves in youth advocacy and inclusion. As an Ashoka Young Changemaker in 2025, she exemplifies a generation deeply committed to social justice and mental health awareness. Through her organization, Rights and Minds, Ikran creates space to facilitate dialogue, education and empathy-driven initiatives that will disrupt stigma within marginalized communities.
Her vision is twofold. To cultivate greater awareness on human rights issues amongst youth, and to advocate for equitable representation of immigrant and minority communities within Finnish society. With her ability to blend empathy and somatic energy, Ikran is quickly becoming one of Europe’s most significant young social innovators.
3. Ninni Norra (Finland), Olea Think
Ninni Norra in 2021. © Eurooppatiedotus / YouTube
Age: 24
Organization: Olea Think
At 24, Ninni Norra founded Olea Think, a Finnish creative think tank. The organization helps companies, cities, and other groups solve complex societal challenges.
Olea Think specializes in designing and facilitating participatory processes. This includes running workshops, innovation sprints, and co-design projects that bring diverse groups together. A key part of their work is using intergenerational dialogue to empower people, especially youth, to co-create practical and sustainable solutions.
4. Noé Cabannes Michel (France), Art x Science InternationalNoé Cabannes Michel portrait from 2025. Licensed under CC0.
Age: 19
Organization: Art x Science International
Noé Cabannes Michel, despite being in the early stage of his journey, shapes the future of global social entrepreneurship with a scalable model that shows massive potential. This French visionary founded Art x Science International, with a goal to publish a collection of adapted literature books designed to maximize attention towards ADHD readers.
This comes in a critical context of decline in reading for kids. According to the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress), in 2023 only 14 % of 13-year-old teenagers read daily, versus 35 % in 1984.
5. Anna Li (USA), Korion Health
Picture of Anna Li smiling from 2025. © Anna Li / YouTube
Age: ~23
Organization: Korion Health
In a fast-moving space like healthcare, Anna Li makes digital health devices accessible. Her company, Korion Health, uses artificial intelligence and wearables to predict chronic health conditions.
Having observed the disparities in rural areas up close, she thought to create an easy-to-use, accurate solution. Anna’s project is unique in that it provides elite technologies to isolated populations, those people who need them the most.
6. Arushi Bagchi (USA), Rememoirs
Age: 17
Organization: Rememoirs
Arushi Bagchi represents one of the youngest waves of impact-driven innovators. She supports Alzheimer’s patients and promotes STEM education in underprivileged communities. Rememoirs has 39 chapters in 7 countries and has impacted the lives of over 100 thousand people..
Born in India and raised between cultures, Arushi brings a global sensitivity to the project. Her mission is to preserve human connection in a digital age that often feels fleeting. Beyond nostalgia, Rememoirs empowers users to reflect on their journeys and share wisdom across generations. In a world where mental health and identity are central conversations, Arushi’s innovation stands out as deeply human and healing.
7. Ba Linh Le (Germany), FrontlineBa Linh Le in 2022. © Yannes Kiefer / WerteJahre
Age: 28
Organization: Frontline
At the critical crossroads of technology and human safety, Ba Linh Le is showing the way. As co-founder of Frontline, she is breaking new ground and using AI to allow us to predict, and hopefully prevent, domestic violence. She is motivated by her own experiences, as a survivor of domestic violence, using her skills to create the tools she wishes she had access to.
Frontline examines anonymized data to help social services determine high-risk situations for domestic violence, allowing them to intervene to protect individuals with an impressive (84%) accuracy rate before it is too late. Her work is a powerful example of trauma taking a whole new meaning as its systems change while protecting the most vulnerable.
8. Peter Njeri (Kenya), Megagas Alternative Energy Enterprise Ltd
Peter Njeri standing in Soweto, a slum in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2025. © Halcyon
Age: ~27
Organization: Mega Gas Alternative Energy Enterprise Ltd
Peter Njeri addresses one of the most pressing issues of the African continent: energy poverty. Peter is with Megagas Alternative Energy where he is turning waste into clean and affordable biogas for homes and small enterprises in Kenya.
His model reduces the use of charcoal and wood as the main source of fuel for the struggling country, two of the leading causes of deforestation. More importantly, he provides an affordable energy solution to families with low incomes. Peter’s vision is not only built on sustainability; he is creating potential circular economies to benefit both the community and the planet.
His aim is to take Mega Gas to the rest of East Africa in 2026, and a huge step towards a cleaner and fairer future, make a must following personality.
9. Jai Aadhithya Ramesh (India/Qatar), Hidden Tears
Age: 17
Organization: Hidden Tears
At just 17, Jai Aadhithya Ramesh’s project Hidden Tears is bringing forward positive change by encouraging young people to challenge the stigma around mental health.
Running in India and Qatar, Jai’s project is normalizing conversations around mental health for teenagers by engaging them through creative activities, peer support, and online awareness initiatives.
Breaking down the topic into emotional health storytelling, expression through art therapy, and digital advocacy, Jai is leading his teams in India and Qatar by using various methods to approach and demystify the subject of mental health and to help teens access resources and open up about their feelings. Despite being young, Jai’s efforts to help others speak up about a difficult topic highlights that age is no limit to our capacity for change and positive impact if we have the courage to care.
The next decade of change
The stories of these nine social entrepreneurs reflect a global trend, young leaders turning empathy into enterprise. They are proving that meaningful innovation doesn’t just disrupt industries; it heals communities and redefines impact.
As we look to 2026, their work is a critical roadmap for the future, challenging us to measure progress not in traditional financial metrics, but in the exponential return of lives fundamentally improved and futures permanently changed. Their initiatives are laying the groundwork for a world where consumption is a tool for profound social transformation.