Four George Washington University alumni have earned a spot on the 2024 Forbes' 30 Under 30 list, showcasing 600 outstanding professionals under the age of 30 across 20 diverse career fields.
The latest edition of the list recognizes the achievements of GW graduates in the entertainment, energy and finance industries.
Read more about the four honorees:
Atticus Francken, B.S. ’16
Atticus Francken serves as president and cofounder of Econergy, a renewable energy company established in October 2018 with the mission of addressing the climate crisis. As the leading non-utility provider of energy for schools nationwide, Econergy achieved a significant milestone by successfully implementing the first commercial application of a bi-directional electric battery to power electric school buses. In addition to his work at Econergy, Francken has played a pivotal role in founding educational enterprises like MajorClarity, Snickerdoodle Labs and Guardian Labs.
Read more about Francken.
Eric Darnell, B.A. ’16
Eric Darnell is a talent agent at WME, where he works with notable clients such as actor Denzel Washington, director A.V. Rockwell and writer Janine Nabers. As the first Black agent in his department, Darnell is dedicated to helping his clients, particularly those in the Black community, break barriers. Prior to WME, Darnell worked at Sony Pictures and LucasFilms, where he supported the production of “Star Wars Ep 9: The Rise of Skywalker.”
Read more about Darnell.
Aya Kantorovich, B.A. ’16
Aya Kantorovich serves as co-CEO and cofounder of Fractal, an infrastructure provider that enables institutions to clear, settle and manage digital assets. In less than three weeks, the company successfully secured $6 million in seed funding amid the FTX collapse. Before her involvement with Fractal, Kantorovich held a key executive position at FalconX, an $8 billion institutional crypto brokerage. During her tenure, she played a crucial role in constructing the trading desk, which provided support to over 700 clients.
Read more about Kantorovich
Brandon Kumar, B.A. ’16
Brandon Kumar is a cofounder of Layer3, an educational platform designed to guide individuals in the use and investment of cryptocurrency. Layer3 has attracted 250,000 monthly active users and has notable customers, including Coinbase and Uniswap. The project successfully secured $6.5 million in seed funding from investors. Prior to establishing Layer3, Kumar served as an associate at Accolade Partners, a venture capital firm.
Read more about Kumar.
