International Youth Day 2025

International Youth Day, celebrated every year on August 12th, highlights the vital role young people play in shaping a better future. It serves as a powerful reminder of their potential and encourages society to recognize, support, and invest in youth as the leaders and changemakers of tomorrow.

International Youth Day was first observed on August 12, 2000, following the adoption of Resolution 54/120 by the United Nations General Assembly in 1999. The day was established to focus on various issues affecting young people worldwide, with themes changing annually to highlight different areas of concern and action.

The theme of International Youth Day 2025, is “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond”. 

Adapting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to local settings allows communities to address their specific challenges while contributing to broader national and global development agendas. This localized approach ensures that initiatives are not only relevant but also inclusive and responsive to real-life needs. Engaging young people in this process empowers them to take ownership of change, sparking innovation and driving progress from the ground up.

Youth are the foundation of a thriving society and play a pivotal role in shaping a sustainable future. Recognizing their needs and tapping into their potential is essential for driving lasting progress. Young people contribute in numerous ways, through innovation and creativity, they bring fresh ideas and bold solutions to global issues. Their active civic engagement strengthens democratic values and fosters social cohesion. Also, youth-led activism is a powerful force for advancing social justice, equality, and human rights across communities and nations.

At StartupXs, we are always inspired by the journey of young entrepreneurs around the world.

On this occasion, let’s celebrate and learn from young, inspiring entrepreneurs who are working locally but driving change globally.

Follow their journeys and get inspired to create your own impact!

Enass Abo-Hamed

Enass Abo-Hamed is a passionate activist, businesswoman, and entrepreneur from Palestine. At the age of 28, she co-founded H2GO Power, an engineering company focused on developing innovative solutions for clean energy storage.

She holds a PhD from Cambridge University, following her undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Applied Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. From a young age, Enass was deeply concerned about air pollution and climate change. While on a PhD research trip to Africa, she witnessed the harsh reality of limited electricity access, hospitals receiving power for only 12 hours a day and families rushing to cook and read while the electricity lasted. This experience inspired her to see the issue as one that engineering could solve, saving lives and protecting the environment at the same time.

Her journey reflects a powerful blend of scientific expertise and entrepreneurial vision, driving sustainable change in the global energy landscape.

Nirdesh Dwa

Nirdesh is the Co-Founder and CEO of Veda App, a leading edtech company in Nepal. Veda has expanded its digital school management platform to Nepal, Brunei, and Japan, serving over 1,100 schools and 1.7 million users. In addition to his work with Veda, Nirdesh also invests in and mentors Karobar App, a finance management tool supporting around 200,000 micro and small enterprises in Nepal and Bangladesh.

Recently, Nirdesh appeared on the international franchise Shark Tank Nepal, where he delivered a confident pitch. Impressed by the product, Shark Hem Raj invested USD 46,000. 

Kevin Smiley

Kevin is the founder, President & CEO of SuraiTea Inc., a tea packaging business which hires recently arrived Syrian refugees. His objective is to, through the sale of premium teas, create high-value jobs for refugees and create a sustainable source of corporate donations from SuraiTea Inc to the not-for-profits active in the refugees resettling effort. SuraiTea recently won the 2016 Ottawa Social Impact Award.

Mira Murati

Mira Murati is an Albanian-American business executive and AI leader. She launched the AI startup Thinking Machines Lab in February 2025 after stepping down as CTO of OpenAI, where she had overseen the development of ChatGPT, DALL·E, and Codex, as well as the organization’s research, product, and safety teams.

In February 2025, she founded Thinking Machines Lab, a public benefit corporation aimed at making AI systems “more widely understood, customizable, and generally capable.” She built a team of about 30 top researchers from Meta, Mistral, and OpenAI. By March 2025, Bloomberg estimated the company’s valuation at $9 billion, with an “average founder stake value” of $1.4 billion.

Jean Bosco Nzeyimana 

Jean Bosco Nzeyimana is the Founder and CEO of Habona Limited, a company that provides integrated waste management services and further processes the waste into affordable and environmentally friendly fuels such as biogas and biomass briquettes. The company is also diversifying into the installation and operation of clean power plants, ranging from waste to energy, such as solar, biomass, hydro, and wind, as well as climate-smart farming.

Growing up in his village, Jean Bosco was no stranger to the hardships and privations that characterised rural life. Most of the community was living in squalor, and the young boy was greatly disturbed by those living standards, or perhaps, the apparent lack of it. Thus began his quest to give the locals a chance at a better life.

Rana Hajirasouli

Rana Hajirasouli is the founder and CEO of The Surpluss, a climate-tech innovator, a systems thinker, an active advocate for climate positive action, and a well-recognized keynote speaker. Her academic background includes an LLM in International Law from Middlesex University and an M.Phil in International Peace Studies with a focus on water security, from Trinity College Dublin. She is a certified GRI Sustainability Professional, SEA, and Biomimicry Practitioner, and is a trusted voice on climate change, supply chain sustainability, and circular economy in the Arabian Gulf.

Hajirasouli founded The Surpluss in 2021, a UAE-based climate-tech company that provides a digital sustainability exchange for excess industrial assets, materials, and resources for businesses. The Surpluss is B Corp certified and recognized as a Top Innovator for the Traceability in Circularity challenge at the World Economic Forum. Her business aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and is committed to building resilient communities.

Reuben Kaine

Reuben Kaine, the co-founder of Trashcycler, a startup that aims to promote the creation of a sustainable and circular economy through an innovative approach to recycling waste management.

Trashcycler is a smart waste solution that helps individuals and businesses manage waste easily. It empowers community entrepreneurs and locals to recycle by offering cash or useful rewards like solar products and clean cookstoves for each kilogram of sorted waste recovered. Kaine’s experience is also credited with innovative sales strategy to deliver substantial revenue growth in a highly competitive business environment.

Trashcycler was also the proud winner of our ChangeMakers Seed Funding 2023 competition. Their innovative approach to community-driven recycling and sustainable entrepreneurship truly stood out. We’re excited to share their inspiring journey and the impact they’re making on both people and the planet

Ben Nowack

Ben Nowack is the co-founder and CEO of Reflect Orbital, a company developing technology to sell sunlight by launching mirrored satellites to reflect light onto solar farms at night. Alongside co-founder Tristan Semmelhack, Nowack has raised $8.7 million from top investors including Sequoia Capital to pursue this ambitious vision.

Before Reflect Orbital, Nowack worked as a Mechanical Engineer at Zipline International, helping develop drones for medical deliveries. He also served as Director of Engineering at Tri-D Dynamics, where he focused on smart casings for the energy sector. He held engineering roles at companies such as Park & Diamond and SpaceX. Nowack was also featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 Energy & Green Tech 2025: Star Power for a More Sustainable Future.

Rainier Mallol

Rainier Mallol is a Dominican entrepreneur and engineer recognized for applying artificial intelligence to public health and customer experience. He is the co-founder of Hayat (formerly AIME), a company that uses AI to predict disease outbreaks and help governments take early action against epidemics. He also founded Cxgenies, an AI-driven platform that analyzes customer feedback across various channels to enhance service quality and team performance.

In 2016, he was recognized as a United Nations Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals for his contributions to global health and innovation. Mallol has also held key government roles, serving as Director of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) at the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development (MEPyD) and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Mipymes (MICM) in the Dominican Republic.

Emmanuel B. Noah

Emmanuel B. Noah is a seasoned executive and digital technology pioneer with a strong track record in advancing land sector innovation. He is the co-founder and CEO of Benben, a digital land transaction platform that tackles inefficiencies in land administration, promotes investment, reduces poverty, and fosters transparency.

Earlier in his career, Noah worked with global organizations such as the UK’s FCDO and the World Bank. He currently advises the Government of Ghana on land rights and property reform as part of the National Property Reforms Working Group. 

Under his leadership, Benben has evolved from a local proof-of-concept to a scalable model for land registry solutions across Africa, with a growing focus on climate finance and agricultural development.

Asher Hasan

Dr. Asher Hasan is the founder and CEO of Naya Jeevan (“new life”), a social enterprise founded in 2007 that provides low-income families with access to quality healthcare and financial services. He is also the co-founder and chair of doctHERs, launched in 2015, a pioneering digital platform that connects home-based female doctors with underserved patients in real time. The platform promotes inclusive employment for women in emerging markets while delivering high-quality care.

A TED speaker, TED fellow, MIT solver, and McKinsey Geneva Health Forum awardee, Dr. Hasan served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council for Social Innovation (2012–2014) and was named the 2011 Asian Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the WEF/Schwab Foundation.

Before launching Naya Jeevan, he served as Senior Director of the U.S. Medical Affairs at Amylin, a leading biopharmaceutical company in San Diego, California.

Enrica Arena

Enrica Arena is the President, Board Member, and Co-Founder of Orange Fiber, the pioneering company that produces patented sustainable fabrics for the fashion industry from citrus byproducts. Born and raised in Catania, Italy, she graduated in International Cooperation for Development and Communication.

She has a strong background in the non-profit sector, working in communications and project management roles, including positions at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and UNDP Egypt. It was through these experiences that Arena’s passion for social entrepreneurship grew, inspiring her to drive innovation and sustainable growth in the fashion industry.

Anna Luísa Beserra 

Anna Luísa Beserra is a Brazilian environmental entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Sustainable Development & Water for All (SDW for all), a system that disinfects rainwater collected in cisterns. In 2019, she became the only Brazilian to receive the UN Environment Programme’s “Young Champions of the Earth” award. Shell Company also recognized her with a LiveWIRE prize for local prosperity.

At 15, Anna Luísa created Aqualuz, a solar water disinfection filter. Encouraged by her mentor, she launched a social enterprise around the product to bring clean water to Brazil’s driest areas. In 2022, she was selected as a Bloomberg New Economy Catalyst, attending both the annual New Economy Forum in Singapore and the Bloomberg New Economy Catalyst Retreat that same year.

Christopher White

Christopher White is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Atmocean. The company harnesses the natural power of ocean waves to green arid lands and provide fresh water to rural coastal communities worldwide. Their innovative system uses wave energy converters offshore to power ocean pumps that push pressurized seawater to onshore desalination plants, where it is converted into affordable freshwater for coastal populations.

White holds a BS from the University of British Columbia and an MSc in Oceanography and Limnology from the University of Amsterdam. His research spans coral reef ecology to aquaculture feed development. In addition to his scientific expertise, he holds an emergency medical technician intermediate license and is a certified PADI dive master. He joined Atmocean in 2009 and represented the company at the Copenhagen Climate Exchange that same year.

Radha Dave

Radha Dave is a Harvard WorldMUN 2017 Diplomacy Award winner. As a mechanical engineering student, she spends much of her time working on technical projects, such as building UAVs. However, social entrepreneurship has always been a core interest of hers, and she hopes to use the knowledge gained from her studies to help those around her.

Her initiative, Project Dakshata, aims to make the world a better place by improving the efficiency of everyday tasks. In its quest to achieve “Proficiency in Efficiency,” Project Dakshata has developed its first product: The Repellaint. This innovative solution is a waterproof, heat-insulating, and insect-repelling paint designed for both rural and urban markets.

Also check: How To Become a Creative Leader — And a Better Startup Founder