Cork woman among several Irish names featured on Forbes 30 Under 30 list
Tara O'Driscoll, co-founder and CTO of BoobyBiome
A Cork woman is among several Irish names featured on this year's Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
29-year-old Tara O'Driscoll from Douglas was commended by Forbes alongside her colleague, Sioned Jones from Wales for their contributions to science and healthcare.
The pair are co-founders of BoobyBiome, along with the firm's chief executive officer, Lydia Mapstone.
Established in 2019, the team is working to develop an infant formula with beneficial breast milk bacteria which prevent common infant health issues.
"It's funny when we meet investors," Ms O'Driscoll tells the "We start by joking that an Irish woman, a Welsh woman and a English woman walked into a bar, and then they founded a company together."
Ms O'Driscoll says the firm aims to educate as well as empower people when it comes to breastfeeding and provide alternatives to those who need it.
Speaking on her recognition in Forbes' 30 Under 30, Ms O'Driscoll said it has been mind-boggling for both her and her colleagues.
"We started from nothing. We were all doing our PhDs when we founded the company and were just constantly busy throughout that time."
"Now that we're all finished our PhDs and working full time, it's so rewarding to be acknowledged for our work so far."
With alumni including household names such as Paul Mescal, Stripe founders, John and Patrick Collison and golfer, Rory Mcllroy, the Forbes list features young entrepreneurs and leaders under 30 years of age across ten categories spanning technology, finance, media, healthcare and science, retail, sport and gaming, arts, manufacturing, social impact and entertainment.
Joining Ms O'Driscoll and the BoobyBiome founders in the Science and Health list was 28-year-old Oisín McGrath who was recognised for his work with Galenband, a company he co-founded in 2020.
Based in Mayo, the firm combines an upper arm band with AI algorithms to monitor patients and flag abnormalities.
Mr McGrath has raised $8.8m (€8.1m) in funding, mostly from Enterprise Ireland, which according to Forbes will be used to conduct clinical trials and apply for regulatory clearance.
Also hailing from the Science and Health list were co-founders of AI and robotics firm Akara, Robbie Scott and Cian Donovan. Established in 2019, Akara works to automate hospital processes and alleviate staff shortages.
Headquartered in Dublin, the firm's flagship product is a disinfection robot which, according to Forbes, decontaminates rooms up to 20 times faster than humans and is currently used in six hospitals worldwide.
Recognised for his social impact, chief executive of 4 Day Week Global, Dale Whelehan was commended for his success working with companies looking to transition to more flexible working hours.
In 2022, 4 Day Week Global held a six-month trial with 61 companies, 92% of which said they would keep up a four-day model. According to Forbes, the former physio-turned-CEO and his team provide firms with financial courses and consulting on how to maintain 100% of the revenue with 80% of the work.
On the Technology list, co-founders of Dublin-based startup Kota, formerly Younder, were acknowledged for their work modernising employee benefits for companies. Luke Mackey, Patrick O'Boyle and Deepak Baliga established the firm in 2022 and last year, it raised around €5m in seed funding.
Also featured on the Technology list was Sanjay Abraham, co-founder of Dublin health staffing platform, XPress Health. Established in 2020, the firm provides software to connect nurses to facilities in need of flexible shift coverage while managing compliance and payments.
According to XPress, the platform supports more than 25,000 workers on the platform and 2,500 facilities across Ireland and the UK.
Commended for her breakthrough singles last year, 27-year-old Yasmine Byrne, also known as Jazzy, was recognised in the Forbes Entertainment list after becoming the first female artist in more than 14 years to have a No.1 song in Ireland.
According to Forbes, Ms Byrne also became the first Irish woman to reach No.1 on Spotify with more than 130 million streams. The Dublin-based singer has been nominated for several awards and won two RTÉ Choice Music Prize awards for "Artist of the Year" and "Breakthrough Artist of the Year."
Also listed among Europe's top entertainers and this year's youngest addition to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list was Alisha Weir.
The 14-year-old Dublin native starred as Matilda Wormwood in 2022's "Matilda: The Musical" alongside Emma Thompson and Andrea Riseborough.
Belfast-based filmmaking duo, Ross White and Tom Berkely were also recognised in the Forbes Entertainment list after the success of their second short film, "An Irish Goodbye" which won an Academy Award, a BAFTA and an IFTA.
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