Three Ivey alumni made the Forbes 30 Under 30 2021 list of young leaders and innovators. The annual global list features 600 honourees in 20 industries. Here’s a look at the alumni who made the list:
Vivek Ramaswami, HBA ’13
Ramaswami is currently venture capitalist at Steadfast Financial. At the time of his award, he was Principal of Redpoint Ventures, a venture capital (VC) firm in San Francisco, Calif. focused on investments in seed, early, and growth-stage companies. During his tenure there, all of the companies he was directly involved with have seen markups since their initial investment.
Read Ramaswami’s profile
“I'm grateful and honoured to be on the 30 Under 30 list. Working in VC over the last five-plus years has been an incredibly rewarding experience – particularly working with smart, tenacious, and high-energy founders from different walks of life. While I very recently left Redpoint to start the venture practice at a $10-billion AUM fund called Steadfast, the ultimate goal is the same – partnering with the very best entrepreneurs to help achieve their vision. Looking forward to the road ahead!”
Amanda Robson, HBA ’14
Robson is Principal of Cowboy Ventures, a venture capital investment firm based in Palo Alto, Calif. that invests in seed-stage digital tech companies. She joined Cowboy Ventures in October 2019 from Norwest Venture Partners. She is also a board member of NextGen Partners, an organization for emerging investors. While at Ivey, she was Editor-in-Chief of the Ivey Business Review.
“I had no idea I’d end up in venture when I left Ivey. It took attempts at different career paths to end up here and I’m glad I didn’t have it all figured out when I left university. In fact, I still don’t today. At my venture fund, we look for people we call ‘Learning Animals’ because those are the types of founders and investors we believe will be most successful. Learning Animals are obsessed with learning and evolving, never reaching a finished version of themselves. Getting to this point in my career, I attribute to my quest to become a Learning Animal. And there’s so much further to go.”
Read Robson’s profile
Verity Sylvester, HBA ’13
Sylvester is Co-Founder of Branch Furniture, which offers high-quality, affordable office furniture to startups. She and her partners had just closed their first seven-figure deal when the pandemic hit, so they quickly pivoted the company to serve the work-from-home set.
“I am honoured to get recognized as one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for 2021. My co-founders and I founded Branch to provide affordable, high-quality furniture for commercial offices across North America. So when COVID-19 hit and offices around the world shuttered, we really didn’t know the fate of our company. Within a month, we pivoted to serve a new demographic: the millions of people now working from home. We effectively built a brand new business with our product line, from acquisition through packaging, distribution, and customer service – all within a few weeks. After a rollercoaster of a year, it feels incredible to be recognized, alongside my team and co-founders, for our hard work and resilience!”
Read Sylvester’s profile
