Entrepreneurship for a New Era: Gen Z’s Response to a Planet in Crisis
Returning to China this summer for the first time since 2019 was a full-circle moment. I had the honor of attending the 2025 Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC) in Tianjin as part of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers delegation. This was my first time joining AMNC, and what a powerful experience it was to re-engage with the country that shaped so much of my worldview—and to do so surrounded by brilliant innovators, global leaders, and young changemakers from across the world.
The theme of this year’s gathering was Entrepreneurship for a New Era, a fitting focus for a generation confronting cascading crises with creativity, collaboration, and urgency.
Youth Innovation in a Time of Climate Crisis
At AMNC, I spoke alongside Dr. Li Haitao, Director of the Family Business Research Center at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB), and Sebastian Buckup, Managing Director of the Centre for Nature and Climate at the World Economic Forum. Together, we explored how Gen Z is driving both climate action and economic transformation—and what it will take for institutions to meet us where we are.
Our generation is inheriting a planet in crisis—but we’re not helpless. We’re resourceful, bold, and increasingly entrepreneurial. According to the Global Shapers Community Impact Report, over 20% of Gen Z youth rank climate change as the number one issue facing our generation. At the same time, 62% plan to start their own businesses—leveraging entrepreneurship as a means to solve social and environmental challenges, not just turn a profit.
What Gen Z Wants Action
Young people aren’t interested in corporate greenwashing or vague commitments. We want transparency, real partnerships, and the resources to scale the work we’re already doing. That means more funding directed toward youth-led projects, more opportunities for intergenerational mentorship, and more seats at the decision-making table.
It also means showing up in real, grounded ways. In Charlotte, NC, Patagonia has been an invaluable supporter of our local environmental justice efforts—offering their retail space as a venue for events hosted by the Black Girl Environmentalist Hub. Whether we’re fundraising for youth programs or building community around climate advocacy, they’ve consistently provided space, support, and trust. That kind of quiet but consistent collaboration shows what it means to be in true partnership with young changemakers.
From Invasive Species to Circular Innovation
In my own work through Invasive Impact Initiatives, I’ve seen this spirit of innovation firsthand. My first project, Z Spools, was born out of a desire to address the ecological harm caused by invasive zebra and quagga mussels, which clog water infrastructure and damage ecosystems across the U.S. Instead of seeing them solely as a problem, we turned their shells into a prototype 3D printing filament—showing how invasive species can be part of a circular, creative, and educational solution.
We’ve since grown from that single idea into a youth-led education platform exploring how invasive species can be upcycled into paper, crafts, and even conservation materials. And we’ve done it all with limited resources, thanks to community support and cross-sector collaboration.
Intergenerational Collaboration Is the Key
But youth leadership doesn’t mean going it alone. With nearly 40% of the global population under the age of 25, our voices are essential—but so is our ability to collaborate across generations. My journey—from growing up in Buffalo, to studying Mandarin from a young age, to returning to China this year as a climate advocate—has taught me that deep solutions require deep listening.
We need programs and spaces that honor both inherited wisdom and emerging insights. Climate solutions must be built together—with elders, with peers, and with the future in mind.
Attending the Annual Meeting of the New Champions reminded me that we’re not just shaping the future—we’re living it. And when we show up as our full selves, grounded in culture, care, and creativity, that future becomes something we can build together.
