W
hen Katherine Sizov learned over 40% of food is wasted before it’s consumed, she was driven into action. Her company, Strella, uses AI models and sensors to monitor produce supply chains—knowing when apples and pears are ripe before it’s too late means less waste in our food system. Her technology has already saved over 40 million pounds of fruit from rotting.
Sustainability, efficiency and recycling are big drivers for many startups on our Forbes 2026 30 Under 30 Manufacturing & Industry list, which highlights young entrepreneurs across fields like manufacturing, robotics, aerospace, agriculture and climate tech.
Take Mason Mincey, 27, Derek Saltzman, 28, Matthew Jaeger, 27, and Patrick Michel, 28, who cofounded Soarce to transform organic waste and seaweed into a nanocellulose material that is eight times stronger than steel. Their building material is now used in the mining, automotive, and aerospace industries.
And there’s Stwart Peña Feliz, 28, whose company Macrocycle makes new plastics and resins from textile and plastic waste. His goal? To reduce the more than 5 million metric tons of plastic entering our waterways each year. Teresa Liu, 27, launched Ouros Materials to use carbon dioxide to print ultra-tough composite materials—creating building panels for affordable construction. Reef Arches, founded by Nicholas Bourdon, 29, makes massive honeycomb barriers that are installed off the coast to protect coastlines from storms and sea level rise. Made from 70% sand, research shows his arches keep beaches from being washed away and foster biodiversity.
