The Young Founders Using Fintech, Social Media And The Power Of Partnerships To Boost Brands Big And Small
Meet the young creatives harnessing loyalty points, celebrity partnerships and more to attract today’s consumers.
By Alexandra York, Genevieve Bookwalter and Alison Bowen
Gökçe Güven, 25, believes the future of marketing lies in customer rewards. That’s why she launched Kalder, a fintech-marketing platform that offers clients like Godiva and The International Air Transport Association white-labeled loyalty programs to embed directly into their sites. It’s a multi-tiered system: Kalder clients determine which merchants from whom customers can earn rewards—while Kalder takes a cut of each loyalty member who signs up. It’s a win-win-win, Güven says. Investors think it’s a winning bet. The startup has raised $11 million in funding at a $35 million valuation.
“In the next five to ten years, every brand will become a fintech company in the backend. They have to, and they have the opportunity to do so,” she says. “It’s net new revenue in these brands’ balance sheets.”
Tim Tadder for Forbes
Brands today must adapt to new trends and technologies to stand out from increasingly saturated markets. The 2025 Under 30 list spotlights those innovative founders and marketing executives creating the biggest growth engines and most impactful campaigns for brands big and small.
Other listers are tapping consumers from another angle: Strategic partnerships, for one. Tobi Gbile, 28, is the senior manager of collaborations at Gap. She’s led projects like the Gap x Cult Gaia collaboration to attract young customers to the legacy clothing brand. And Tamar Davis, 29, is leading the NBA Detroit Pistons’ social media and talent partnerships by partnering with popular talent like Big Sean. Meanwhile, Kathleen O’Keefe, 29 has been tasked with expanding Hearst Magazine’s luxury portfolio into an online shopping destination, and has tapped partners like Prada and Miu Miu to successfully bring shoppers to Heart’s shopping site, ShopBAZAAR.
Even in the age of social media, where raw content and “authenticity” is king, much of this year’s class is investing heavily in production value to cut through the digital noise. Take Valerie Zhang, the 27-year-old cofounder of VX Media who creates 30-some-second spots on social media for clients like Kiehl’s, Maybelline and more that resemble full-fledged TV commercials (think vibrant colors, high-definition film, quick cuts and pop-music to market the new Dior perfume). Or Austin Barbera, 28, and Jake Krask, 28, the cofounders of SixTwentySix. They’re creating video content for musicians (like Billie Eilish) and commercial companies alike—and winning awards for their work, like a recent VMA for producing Megan Thee Stallion’s “Boa” music video.
While much of this year’s class is booking globally recognized clients like Coca-Cola or Adidas, others are proving that there’s no such thing as a small job: Take Danielle Spencer, 29, and her Some Creative Agency, which focuses primarily on small businesses as they scale. Or Eli Cohen, 27, the founder of OSMOS—a marketing company that helps early-stage startups generate funding, and even invests in some along the way.
From loyalty rewards to viral online content or pitch decks prime for investor eyes, the honorees on this year’s Marketing & Advertising list are taking advantage of the fast-pace in which their industry is changing. “We have never been at a place where building your dreams has been this accessible and democratized,” Güven says.
This year’s list was edited by Alexandra York, Genevieve Bookwalter and Alison Bowen. For a link to our complete 2025 30 Under 30 Marketing & Advertising list, click here, and for full 2025 30 Under 30 coverage, click here.
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