Tibetan girl features in Forbes 30 Under 30 – Social Entrepreneurs 2018
By Lobsang Tenchoe
DHARAMSALA, Nov 15: A Tibetan girl has made it to the Forbes magazine’s 30 under 30 in Social Entrepreneurs category and 30 under 30 listees set to influence the next century.
Tenzin Seldon, co-founder and CEO of Kinstep features among the Forbes magazine’s 30 under 30 in Social Entrepreneurs category and 30 under 30 listees set to influence the next century as Forbes unveiled United States’ 2018 list which features 600 brightest young entrepreneurs, breakout talents and change agents in 20 different sectors on November 14.
The 28-year-old Stanford grad and Rhodes Scholar was born and raised in India and immigrated to the US as an adolescent. She started Kinstep to give back to the immigrant community in US by helping them find work.
Kinstep is a tech platform that matches immigrants with employment directly in the local community. The platform for all immigrants, for newly arrived immigrant as well as those who have already established their life. Her company combats the problems associated with “under-the-table” work that often leads to exploitative labour practices.
“A Tibetan refugee, Tenzin Seldon is all too familiar with the struggles of being an immigrant. She cofounded Kinstep, a B2B tech platform that matches pre-vetted immigrants with employment directly in the community. Partners include WeWork, Box and more,” reads her profile on the Forbes.
Congratulating her, messages poured in thick and fast on her Facebook account following her feat.“Humbled to be featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 list. My tribe wouldn’t be complete without the dynamic co-founder, Adrenne Huesca. Thank you to our committed team who often work weekends and nights, family & friends, partners who believed in us, and mentors. None of this is possible without the grounding of my Tibetan roots and people, and guidance from our spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” she said in a Facebook and thanked all the immigrants and refugees Kinstep works for and with.
Tenzin Seldon is the second Tibetan women to feature in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Tsechu Dolma, 25, founder of Mountain Resiliency project, also featured in the same category in 2017. Dolma’s project addresses the poverty and food insecurity prevalent in mountain communities.
Forbes 30 Under 30 is a set of lists issued annually by Forbes magazine and some of its regional editions. Forbes launched its 30 Under 30 list in 2011 and by 2016, the nominations for the list had reached more than 15,000, with Forbes editors selecting 30 winners for each of 20 categories.
