Olivia Jenkins, who named her young business after her mother who died of cancer, and Dr Sioned Fôn Jones for a start-up developing supplements from breast milk aimed at improving infant health, have made it onto a prestigious list of budding entrepreneurs, BBC reported.
The Forbes 30 under 30 in Europe 2024 list includes rising stars in industries ranging from music and media to sport and science.
Olivia Jenkins, 27, from Cardiff, was shocked when her jewellery brand, D. Louise, founded in 2021, was among the winners. The brand name was inspired by her late mum Deborah Louise who died in 2017 – which Ms Jenkins said prompted her to embrace life. She emphasised:
“I felt like naming my brand in tribute to her because I knew it would make it a success.”
Although Ms Jenkins was never “super entrepreneurial” until she founded D. Louise with her boyfriend, Jack Zambakidesco, she admitted that getting on the Forbes list, which you have to apply for or be nominated for, was always a goal. She said:
“I feel so honoured to be on something so substantial – it doesn’t feel real.”
Some people were notified of inclusion on the list by email, but Ms Jenkins discovered her application had been successful by looking at the Forbes website.
“The feeling was the same as applying to university and you’re trying to find out if you have got in,” according to her.
Ms Jenkins said she had always been obsessed with jewellery and wanted to make something waterproof and sweat-proof so the wearer didn’t have to take it off every time they took a shower or went to the gym.
Therefore, since its launch, D. Louise has sold more than 350,000 items, ranging from gold earrings to chain necklaces. The company expects revenue to exceed £9.2 million this year and plans to open several high street shops, with Cardiff likely to be the first.
However, the journey of starting a small business and turning it into an eight-figure business has been a difficult one. Ms Jenkins noted that “It has been a long journey and our blood, sweat and tears have gone into it.”
In addition to Ms Jenkins, another Welsh woman who made the Forbes list is Dr Sioned Fôn Jones from Waunfawr in Gwynedd. The 29-year-old is co-founder and CEO of BoobyBiome, a biotech start-up that is developing a breast milk supplement designed to improve children’s health.
She noted: “I also want to acknowledge that BoobyBiome would not be where it is today without the hundreds of women who have donated their milk.”
