Chile will have its own edition of the 2026 “30 Under 30,” the Forbes list that—every year since 2011—has identified the world’s most daring, creative, and influential young people. Thirty young people under the age of 30 will be selected to make up a list that reflects the best of entrepreneurship, innovation, and the impact being generated in Chile.
“We’re now focusing exclusively on Chile, and that has a profound meaning. We’re living through a complex demographic moment: the birth rate is falling, the population is aging, and in that context, every young person who comes forward with an innovative idea today is worth twice as much. The 30 Under 30 Chile list aims to shine a spotlight on that generation: founders, scientists, creators, and social leaders who are building the country’s future right now,” says Claudia Guzmán Vivanco, editorial director of Forbes Chile. “We can’t wait until they’re successful ten years from now to tell their story. We’re featuring them today,” she adds.
To that end, a panel of prominent figures and experts has been assembled to assist in the selection of online applications, offering their perspectives on the role of the younger generations and the interpretation and evolution of success before and after age 30. The panel brings together a selection of international Brand Chile ambassadors and individuals featured on previous Forbes Chile lists.
Chilean Olympic gold medalist Francisca Crovetto will be one of them, along with astronomer and science communicator Teresa Paneque, and social innovator Martín del Río, founder of the Ladera Sur environmental festival and the Santiago Wild film festival.
The founder of the Phaway Foundation and co-founder of Cornershop—an innovation recognized as Chile’s first unicorn in 2021 after being sold to Uber for approximately US$3,000 million—and Eduardo della Maggiora, founder and CEO of Betterfly, an insurtech and corporate wellness platform positioned as Latin America’s first social unicorn.
“Chile is a country full of talented people and entrepreneurs. Here at Ladera Sur, we see creative and highly innovative initiatives popping up all over the country. I think it’s very important to highlight the people who are doing things differently,” del Río emphasizes.
Also on the panel will be businesswoman and union leader Alejandra Mustakis, open-water swimmer and record-holder Bárbara Hernández, and restaurant entrepreneur Max Raide, owner of Casa Las Cujas—a restaurant listed among Latin America’s 50 Best—and promoter of La Ruta Trasandina, a high-end gastronomy initiative.
“We didn’t want to put together just any panel; we wanted those evaluating these young people to understand what it means to build something from Chile with a global reach,” says the editorial director of Forbes Chile, summarizing the panel organized in partnership with Marca Chile.
A list with international reach
To select candidates for the list, the Forbes Chile editorial team reviews online applications and consults industry sources and past list members for recommendations. Candidates are evaluated by Forbes staff and a panel of experts formed in partnership with Marca Chile, an organization that, through its ambassadors, will consider various factors, such as funding, revenue, social impact, scale, innovation, potential, and the applicants’ international reach.
Forbes operates in 69 countries, and in each one it has the same mission: to celebrate success stories while upholding global editorial standards. That global presence is no small matter: it means that when Forbes Chile publishes a list, it does so with the backing of a brand that is already recognized around the world. And Marca Chile—a public-private institution under the Imagen de Chile Foundation—shares that international vision:
Enzo Abbagliati, acting executive director of Marca Chile, believes that Forbes Chile’s “30 Under 30” list reflects a clear conviction: “Young talent is one of the main drivers of the country’s image today. Whether in entrepreneurship, science, technology, or sports, there is a generation that is blazing new trails and developing initiatives that capture international attention and put Chile on the map for what it is capable of creating. For Marca Chile, joining this initiative is a concrete way to amplify these stories and showcase them as part of the Chile we want to present to the world.”
In this regard, Claudia Guzmán of Forbes Chile adds: “Marca Chile is an institution that has been working for years to showcase Chilean talent beyond our borders. It is this shared purpose that gives this partnership real meaning.”
Check out the original article in Forbes Chile.
