Young founders are reshaping leadership

Leadership is no longer linear. Among the founders I meet, there’s a clear shift: Younger entrepreneurs are starting earlier, building faster, and often working across multiple ventures at once. More than half of Gen Z has a side hustle. Entrepreneurship is beginning to look less like a single trajectory and more like a portfolio. 

But this generation isn’t just building businesses. They’re building dynamic careers with intent. 

There is a growing expectation that entrepreneurs integrate social and environmental impact into core business decisions. Nearly a third of Gen Z is interested in serving on nonprofit boards or advisory groups. The line between building a company and driving impact is increasingly blurred. 

In my role, working with leaders across sectors, I see this shift play out in real time. A new model of leadership is emerging: one defined not by sequence, but by action. These leaders aren’t waiting to establish credibility before they lead. They’re building and leading simultaneously, often across multiple platforms. 

Sophia Kianni is one of them. 

Kianni is the co-founder of Phia, the AI alignment layer for commerce, and co-host of business podcast The Burnouts. She also founded Climate Cardinals, now the world’s largest youth-led climate nonprofit, and served as the youngest UN climate advisor in U.S. history. 

Together, we unpack what it means to lead today, and why the next generation isn’t waiting to step up. They are already doing it. 

WALSH: There’s a perception that leadership comes with time and experience. But that seems to be changing. What are you seeing? 

KIANNI: What’s changing is access and expectations. With social media and AI, it’s easier than ever to build, get real feedback, and learn fast. If you’re a high agency young person, you can compress the timeline for building expertise and start gaining meaningful experience much earlier.

At the same time, I deeply appreciate that some lessons only come from making mistakes over time. That’s why a strong support system matters. Growth takes both initiative and people around you who can offer perspective and help you navigate it.

WALSH: The traditional model was more linear; you built credibility over time, often within one organization. What we’re seeing now is much more dynamic. 

From where I sit, that creates both opportunity and complexity. There is incredible energy and innovation, but it also challenges existing systems. Many institutions aren’t designed to engage with leaders building across multiple platforms at once. 

Why is this portfolio approach becoming more common? 

KIANNI: Because it’s possible now. You can start something with very few resources, reach people directly, and pivot quickly if it isn’t working.

Instead of betting everything on one idea upfront, you can test a few things at once. Some grow, some don’t, and you learn from all of it.

Sometimes those things also compound. We’re seeing media platforms become more valuable to tech companies, and founders are increasingly building ecosystems where different ventures reinforce each other through audience, distribution, and trust.

But once something is clearly working, the job changes. You need to put resources, staffing, and a team around it, because companies are built by teams, not individuals.

WALSH: I’m inspired by how many young leaders are using their ventures and platforms to drive real change. Sustainability and climate action have been central to your work. How are those values shaping what you build? 

KIANNI: I think people can feel when something is built from conviction versus convenience. If you want to bring something to life, especially through the hard parts, you have to genuinely believe in it.

For me, purpose has always come from working on things that solve real problems and make people’s lives better. That started with my nonprofit, where I was focused on empowering more young people to work on climate change solutions.

And that same instinct has carried into everything I’ve built since, including Phia and my podcast The Burnouts.

I’ve never really thought about impact as something separate from building. For me, it is the reason to build.

WALSH: You recently joined UNICEF’s NextGen Leadership Council. How do you hope your platform helps inspire others to see themselves as leaders and changemakers? 

KIANNI: One of the biggest through lines in my work is that I deeply believe in the ability of young people to make a real positive difference in the world. I want to keep using my platform to support initiatives I care deeply about and that I believe are making the world better, and UNICEF is absolutely one of them.

More than anything, I hope I can help people see that anyone can be a changemaker. You do not need one specific job or title to make an impact. Whatever career you are in, you can use your voice, your skills, and your platform to help move things in a better direction.

WALSH: That resonates with what I’m seeing. Leadership today isn’t just about vision; it’s about building what makes that vision possible. 

That may involve multiple ventures, partnerships, or platforms. But the goal is the same: creating something that can scale and endure. 

As I think about the next generation of leadership, I see an ability to connect ideas, resources, and communities in real time and turn that into meaningful change. What do you think defines this generation of leaders? 

KIANNI: This generation leads with imagination and acts with conviction. We see possibilities that others may miss, and we are willing to pursue them.

Young leaders bring a fresh perspective to old problems. We are more likely to question inherited systems, connect ideas across different worlds, and build where others might have accepted the status quo.

What defines this generation is a belief that progress is possible, and a willingness to help create it.

Michele Walsh is executive vice president and chief philanthropy officer of UNICEF USA. 

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