According to Forbes, the combined social media following of all the recipients in the class of 2025 tops 300 million across all platforms, and they raised more than $3.6 billion in funding.
Categories included Art & Style, Consumer Technology, Education, Energy, Enterprise Technology, Finance, Food & Drink, Games, Healthcare, Hollywood & Entertainment, Manufacturing & Industry, Marketing & Advertising, Media, Music, Retail & E-commerce, Science, Social Impact, Social Media, Sports and Transportation.
Most of the honorees are based in California or New York, but there were 32 Texans, six of whom currently reside or originate from North Texas.
Sports
Dallas resident Rawleigh Williams III, 28, received recognition for his involvement in creating a sports division within Milk & Honey, a music agency.“Being named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list is truly an honor and a humbling moment in my journey,” Williams III said. “When my football career ended, it was a challenging time, but it pushed me to find a new purpose in helping athletes navigate their careers off the field.”
Williams says he is grateful for mentors, colleagues and family members who have supported him along the way. He also says it was his goal since joining Milk & Honey in 2021 to build a sports division serving clients with the “same intensity and dedication” he brought to his career before opening the sports arm.
Education
Dallasite Carlynn Greene, 25, was recognized for her YouTube videos and her Scholarship Guru business, both of which offer learning resources, free training sessions and advice on navigating scholarships for higher education.“To think that I started my work all the way back in 2017 and was making only about $1,000 per year — despite helping people win millions of dollars in scholarships and graduate debt-free across the globe — to now seven years later being named as one of many for this prestigious list,” Greene said on a LinkedIn post.
Greene said in the post that at one time she had contemplated quitting this work because she was unable to make a full-time income, but she stayed true to herself and her goal of educating others. She does so through Edfluntial, a new Scholarship Guru initiative partnering with businesses, nonprofits and creators to amplify social impact while ensuring financial sustainability.
Hollywood & Entertainment
McKinney resident Mason Thames, 17, was recognized for achievements in the acting world. Thames is the youngest person across all categories to be honored in the class of 2025.Thames took to Instagram to thank Forbes in a story that he has since kept as a highlight feature.
Games
Shane Gill, 28, and Riley Testut, 29, both based in Dallas, were recognized for their work on AltStore, an alternative app distribution platform allowing users to sideload apps onto iOS devices without going through the App Store. “Honored to follow in the footsteps of incredible role models like Elizabeth Holmes and SBF [Sam Bankman-Fried]!!” Testut wrote on a Threads post, poking a bit of fun at past honorees who haven't exactly made the most of their years since being named to the list.
Also in the games category, Fort Worth resident Christopher Earl, 26, a Marine Corps veteran, was called out for founding Regiment Gaming. The organization aims to combat suicide by uniting veterans and active military members to play video games.
“While it may show my name on there, I was not able to do this alone,” Earl wrote on a LinkedIn post. “I owe a huge thank you to the entirety of my staff, both past and present. Their hard work, creativity and dedication has been the backbone of Regiment's success.”
