Who Inspires You? 9 Young Female Founders and CEOs We Admire

Question: Who is one young female CEO who has inspired you in the last several months? What did they do that was so inspirational?

Question by: Gina

Jess Lee of Polyvore

“Jess Lee is an incredible under-30 CEO, period (regardless of gender). Jess leads Polyvore, which is the largest fashion social network in the world. She has incredible skill in building amazing products, but also in social media. For example, she recently put on a NYC Fashion Week show featuring the top fashion bloggers. Brilliant move—the event got lots of blog attention and media hype.”

– Eric Bahn | Founder, Beat The GMAT
Follow @beatthegmat

Laura Roeder of LKR

“One of my mentors and big inspirations in business is Laura Roeder, founder of LKR, who recently relaunched her Creating Fame program. This program catapulted my early business attempts into a real presence on the web, and she just keeps creating more and more outstanding programs for fellow entrepreneurs.”

– Nathalie Lussier | Creator, The Website Checkup Tool

Lauren Berger of Intern Queen

“I was so proud of and inspired by Lauren Berger’s launch of her first book “All Work, No Pay” that is a National Campus Bestseller. This title extends her Intern Queen brand and opened up phenomenal press opportunities, including an appearance on the Today Show. “

– Elizabeth Saunders | Founder & CEO, Real Life E®
Follow @RealLifeE

Sarah Prevette of Sprouter

“As a young entrepreneur myself, I love what Sarah has done with Sprouter. Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely journey, so the ability to tap into renown leaders, investors and experts makes Sprouter an invaluable conduit to the knowledge you need to succeed.”

– Ryan Stephens | Founder, Ryan Stephens Marketing
Follow @Ryan Stephens

Adriann Wanner of evoJets

“Adriann Wanner of evoJets, a company that brokers private jet flights around the world, inspires me. She founded a company in a niche space because she saw an opportunity to create more value for customers. Her missions to consistently deliver an exceptional customer experience and build a sustainable business are exemplary.”

– Doreen Bloch | CEO / Founder, Poshly Inc.

Natalie MacNeil of She Takes on the World

“Natalie MacNeil is one female CEO under the age of 30 who has inspired me. She has created an amazing blog and has a solid following of female readers. She is a true connector, mentor and wants the best for the women around her. Aside from co- founding YEC Women, she also won an Emmy at a young age. She rocks, and is a genuine entrepreneur who cares about the success of others around her. “

– Kris Ruby | President, Ruby Media Group
Follow @sparklingruby

Jennifer Hyman of Rent the Runway

“Jennifer Hyman co-founded Rent the Runway only a few years ago. She has done an amazing job of taking a product reserved only for the wealthy into a business model that allows everyone to feel like a star for a day. She is a first-time CEO, and it’s inspirational to see an incredibly creative company grow from nothing to over $30 million in funding!”

– Aaron Schwartz | Founder and CEO, Modify Watches
Follow @ModifyWatches

Alexa von Tobel of LearnVest

“Not only did Alexa manage to raise over $24million and recruit the former CEO of Huffington Post and COO of DailyCandy, but LearnVest’s tools and resources help women manage their finances. LearnVest’s impact on the New York startup scene has been unmatched, and she remains a great role model for female entrepreneurs.”

– Matt Wilson | Co-founder, Under30CEO.com

Jessica Mah of inDinero

“Every time I hear Jessica’s story I’m inspired. First of all, she finished high school at age 15 and went to study computer science at a university right after. Not too long ago, she launched inDinero, an amazing product for small businesses that seems to be doing quite well.”

– Ben Lang | Founder, EpicLaunch
Follow @entrepreneurpro

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.