Nothing better illustrates the vibrancy of entrepreneurship than Inc.’s Rising Stars, the inspiring under-30 founders who are blazing paths in fields ranging from diamond-making to tech to beekeeping. Presenting the stars of the future —and today.
Leigh-Kathryn Bonner, 25
BEE DOWNTOWN Durham, N.C.
Founded 2015 j Funding $75,000 j 2017 Revenue $350,000
Human Beeing
“It might take me twice as long to move a 60-pound beehive, but I’ll do it in high heels and a dress coming out of a meeting with the New York Stock Exchange,” boasts Leigh-Kathryn Bonner, founder of Bee Downtown, which installs honeybee hives on companies’ property. It started when she pitched her parents on the idea. They agreed to provide funding, but if she wasn’t profitable in a year, she would have to find a real job. Three years later, Bee Downtown has sold more than 100 hives to the likes of Burt’s Bees, Delta, IBM, and Chick-fil-A, as those companies and others seek to boost morale and bring employees outdoors. Bee Downtown does the beekeeping, but also suits up companies’ employees for beekeeping classes, generates environmental reports, and bottles honey. Bees are a gateway, Bonner says, “to get people excited about agriculture and sustainability.”
—MICHELLE CHENG
Daniel Katz, 21
NO COW Denver
Founded 2015 j 2017 Revenue $10 MILLION j Employees 12
The Prodigy
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