41% Of Forbes Under 30 Are POC: Meet The Black And Latine Standouts In Tech
Each year, Forbes releases its flagship Under 30 list showcasing young innovators shaping the future of business, culture, and society. The 2026 class marks the list’s 15th anniversary and showcases 600 young innovators across 20 categories from technology and venture capital to music, arts, sports, social impact, and beyond.
Forbes reports that 41% of honorees self-identify as people of color, and 22% were born outside the US, hailing from countries including Mexico, Cameroon, Tanzania, and the Dominican Republic.
Among this year’s honorees are a number of Black and Latine founders and investors reshaping the tech and venture capital landscape. Below, we spotlight a few.
Eunice Ajim – Venture Capital
Born in Cameroon and now based in Austin, Texas, Eunice Ajim is reimagining what early-stage investing in Africa can look like. After cofounding a successful tech company at 24, she launched Ajim Capital in 2022 to support the continent’s overlooked startup ecosystem. Her debut fund backed 20 early-stage companies, including multicurrency platform Raenest. Ajim is now raising a second fund, targeting $25 million to invest in digital infrastructure, AI, and fintech across Africa.
Ethan Barajas – Science
Ethan Barajas, founder of Icarus Robotics, wants to free astronauts from routine maintenance tasks so they can focus on scientific discovery. After interning at NASA at 17 and leaving Caltech early to build the company, Barajas has secured $6.1 million in seed funding. His AI-powered robotic assistants are slated for a zero-gravity test flight, followed by a year-long trial on the International Space Station in 2027.
Stwart Peña Feliz – Manufacturing & Industry
Stwart Peña Feliz, who moved from the Dominican Republic as a child, cofounded Macrocycle, a company turning textile and plastic waste into new plastics and resins. Peña Feliz’s path from Cornell to MIT Sloan School of Management to building a startup focused on circular materials reflects his belief that the American Dream should include creating solutions that benefit both communities and the planet.
Eugenia Bejar – Venture Capital
Eugenia Bejar, a vice president at Insight Partners, is one of the most senior Latinas and the youngest mother on the firm’s investment team. With a background in mechanical engineering, Bejar specializes in cybersecurity and infrastructure software and has helped deploy more than $1 billion in capital. She works closely with companies such as Semperis, Seeq, and Bionic, drawing on her technical training to evaluate and support complex enterprise products.
Dieumerci Christel – Education
Dieumerci Christel immigrated to the US from a Tanzanian refugee camp at 13. In 2018, he launched Enlightapp to address what he saw as a disengaged education system failing students with untapped potential. The AI-powered tool provides teachers with weekly, student-informed insights on everything from language spoken at home to internet access. Enlightapp already reaches 10,000 students, with 40,000 more expected in 2026, and has raised nearly $1 million from supporters including Techstars, Robin Hood, and the Gates Foundation.
Ana Aguilar – Gaming
In the gaming world, Ana Aguilar leads one of Roblox’s most successful virtual fashion houses: Kestrel Clothing. She’s worked with brands like Gap, e.l.f. beauty, Heidi Klum, and Bratz, and joined Roblox HQ while still in college at the University of Florida. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, she credits her parents’ sacrifices and the collaborative energy of the Roblox community for fueling her ascent.
