How can we drive change and develop solutions to global challenges from Chile? That was one of the questions that guided the event organized by Forbes Chile, which brought together young people selected for the first national edition of Forbes 30 Under 30 and a panel of experts from various disciplines. The event, held in collaboration with Marca Chile, fostered an intergenerational dialogue on the opportunities and challenges of developing initiatives with an international reach.
For Claudia Guzmán, director of Forbes Chile, the response to the call for entries reflects both the potential of the younger generations and the country’s ability to showcase its talent beyond its borders.“Forbes is a global brand with a presence in more than 80 countries. Each country strives to compile local lists, but not all succeed. We did. We had an incredible response, which shows that there is talent, there is potential, and there is a capacity to make a difference for the country, the world, and the region—all born at the end of the world—and that makes us proud.”
The collaboration between Forbes Chile and Marca Chile also allowed the experts who participated in selecting the 30 young people to engage with them in a conversation and exchange of experiences. For Enzo Abbagliati, acting executive director of Marca Chile, the meeting provided an opportunity to recognize both the capabilities that exist in the country and the challenges that remain in fostering the development of young talent.
“It was a very enriching intergenerational gathering. We’re talking about young people who, in various fields—from entrepreneurship to culture and sports—have pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in Chile just a little further. And that allowed us to have a very fruitful dialogue, in which we recognized our country’s potential—the concrete strengths we possess today—but also those areas where we must continue working to offer this young talent a space that allows them to develop in a more holistic and sustainable way over time,” Abbagliati said.
Chilean youth talent that transcends borders
The event was organized around roundtable discussions that brought together two generations: young people just starting to develop their projects and established figures from various fields. The conversations were moderated by Daniel Undurraga, founder of Cornershop; Bárbara Hernández, swimmer; Jimena Zapata, founder of Genias; Max Raide, restaurant entrepreneur; and Isabel Aninat, cultural manager.
“What I value most about this event is that it was an intergenerational gathering and that people from different fields were able to come together around the things we love doing most, from how we come up with ideas to how we represent Chile on the international stage,” emphasized ice swimmer Bárbara Hernández, adding that “the younger generations show that what we do is important; blazing new trails can also offer hope or inspiration and proves that it’s possible to make a living doing what we love.”
Young people also emphasize the importance of the work carried out by the younger generations, especially in finding solutions to today’s challenges. According to Ismaela Magliotto, co-founder of the NGO Uno Punto Cinco, “civil society organizations play a fundamental role in advancing the fulfillment of all social rights and the protection of the environment.”
Through technology, Isis Riquelme, CEO and co-founder of Chukaw, develops solutions for disaster prevention and monitoring. Her company has already participated in projects in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Paris, and is currently seeking to expand into other countries. “Changes are taking place in Chile, and these changes can be applied worldwide,” she said.
In the services sector, Samuel Weinstein, co-founder of TGP, a B2B lead generation agency, has focused part of his work on exporting services from Chile. For Weinstein, one of the country’s main assets lies precisely in the people who carry out these projects: “We have very high-level talent—I’d say the highest level in Latin America—and often that isn’t recognized in other markets.”
Felipe Nuñez, meanwhile, who founded the startup Aqua Retorna —which reuses graywater from sinks to flush toilets—said that for him, it is “a responsibility and a privilege to represent Chile and to share our technologies and all the developments we’ve made. “I believe it’s important to share the knowledge developed in Chile and to project a high standard for our country’s image, for the benefit of society and the world in the area of water sustainability.”
In the creative industries sector, Nicholas Hooper, director and producer at CUBHO Audiovisual, works on the internationalization of Chilean films and series. Hooper highlights the interest that exists in other markets in the stories and capabilities developed in Chile. “I’ve had the opportunity to travel to markets where Chilean stories have been very well received. There are many people and producers who want to collaborate with Chile on its diverse stories so they can be shared with the world.”
Coming from a variety of disciplines and working on projects that are very different from one another, the members of this first Chilean edition of Forbes 30 Under 30 share one common trait: they are developing initiatives that originate in Chile but seek to address needs and opportunities that extend beyond its borders. For them, this is just the beginning.
