Changing the world takes vision, grit, and hard work.
And it takes just enough crazy to believe you might actually pull it off.
That's what makes the young generation of innovators so important. Chock-full of fresh ideas and optimism, today's crop of up-and-comers aren't wasting time waiting in line; they're building the companies and products of the future right now.
We've rounded up a list of those ahead of the curve: The entrepreneurs, CEOs, and product gurus, ages 30 and under, who are driving innovation from Silicon Valley to South Africa. To be eligible for this list, the person had to have done something awesome in tech in 2018.
Business Insider combed the tech landscape, from startups and tech giants to venture capital firms and investors, to find the most interesting and noteworthy rising stars. Here they are:
SEE ALSO: Meet the rising stars in New York tech who find hot startup deals and manage millions of dollars
Shruti Merchant's startup takes the hassle out of finding affordable housing in California's ritziest markets.
Title:Cofounder and CEO of HubHaus
Age: 24
As millennials continue to move in droves to expensive cities, startups are hatching creative solutions for helping them find affordable housing. HubHaus leases large homes, typically with five to 10 bedrooms, from owners and finds community-seeking renters to fill them.
Launched by Shruti Merchant and her cofounder Kerry Jones in 2016, the company has expanded to 82 properties in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. It's eyeing an expansion outside California in 2018, thanks to a recent round of $10 million in funding, according to Merchant.
Vitalik Buterin created the blockchain technology for ethereum when he was only a teenager.
Title: Founder of Ethereum
Age: 24
Vitalik Buterin first began working on ethereum when he was still a teenager. Today, the cryptocurrency built on ethereum's blockchain technology, ether, is considered one of the most influential cryptocurrencies in the world— spiking to nearly $1,500 in early 2018.
Buterin, who stepped away from venture capital earlier this year, has remained an active figure in the cryptocurrency community. In January, Buterin said that he expects 2018 to be a landmark year for ethereum: Already, the project's technology has spurred numerous blockchain applications and decentralized apps.
Tim Ellis and Jordan Noone have plans to print rockets on the planet Mars.
Title: Cofounders of Relativity Space
Age: 27, 25
Tim Ellis and Jordan Noone left their jobs as engineers at Blue Origin and SpaceX, respectively, to start their own company, Relativity Space. The pair have developed an enormous 3D printer for manufacturing rocket hardware which they hope will make it possible to build rocketships in just a few days.
In the future, Ellis and Noone hope their technology will be used to print spacecrafts on the planet Mars. Already, the pair has engineered the largest metal 3D printer in the world, which they say can currently manufacture 95% of the materials for a functioning rocket. In three years, they hope to launch a 3D printed rocket into space.
So far, the company has raised $45.1 million from investors including Mark Cuban, Social Capital, and Y Combinator.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider