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In 2016  Alexandr Wang, 20 , took time off from his graduate computer science studies at MIT. He headed to Silicon Valley to join his friend and fellow developer  Lucy Guo, 23 . Two years  earlier, Guo - a 2014 Thiel Fellow - had left her senior year at Carnegie Mellon to pursue her own tech career.  Now, little more than a year after Wang left Cambridge, the two are leading a $4.7-million startup.  Scale , “The API of Human Intelligence,” serves such giants as Alphabet, P&G, GM Cruise and more. From high school dropouts to Stanford Ph.D’s, most of the  Forbes 2018 30 Under 30 Class in Enterprise Tech  are augmenting Artificial Intelligence with indispensable human skills.  Both Wang and Guo have substantial experience in tech, including stints at Snap and Quora. So they know that despite the considerable hype AI is, as they describe it, “not ready for prime time.” And, like much of this year’s class, they took risks to create something new. Scale offers immediate access t

As a brand, social media is one of your biggest assets. Here's some advice from the experts at VSCO. As an  entrepreneur  or small-business owner,  social media  should be a top priority. From promoting your products to building a community to developing your  brand's voice  -- the benefits of having a solid grasp on your business's social media presence is essential to the success and appeal of your company. But don't worry, you don't need to spend thousands of dollars on fancy equipment or hire a third-party agency to do it for you. But that doesn't mean just throwing a bunch of random pictures up on Instagram either. Instead, it's important to be thoughtful, listen to your audience, learn a few quick and easy camera tricks (yes, you can use your smartphone) and eventually, build a voice, a community and a large following. To help you achieve all of these things, we've brought in some help from photography app  VSCO 's Kendal Kulley, an a

A Dutch design student proposes a common-sense alternative to the way most home goods are sold today. Look at any label on a household product, from laundry detergent to dish soap to shampoo, and you’ll see that most are 80% water. Across billions of units, shipped around the world, that adds up to a huge amount of extra weight–which means more packaging wasted, more fuel needed, and more pollution produced. What if each product was distilled down to its non-water ingredients and sold as a solid? That’s the idea behind the designer  Mirjam de Bruijn ‘s project  Twenty , a concept for packaging where these products are sold in solid form. Once you’ve bought your shampoo pellets, you simply put them in a reusable bottle, and add water. [Photo: Mirjam Lois de Bruijn ] If the concept, which is de Bruijn’s thesis for the Design Academy Eindhoven, were to be widely adopted, she estimates the average plastic packaging per person in the Netherlands would reduce significantly.

Sales and marketing is a numbers game. With 2.5 billion people online and more added every day, are the numbers working for you? Marketers go where the people are, and marketing dollars follow. Last year, for the first time ever, marketers invested more money in digital advertising than television advertising. Today, the people are on social media platforms. Nearly  2.5 billion  people use at least one social media platform each month, and companies like Facebook intended to keep expanding their reach until the whole world is on a social network. For entrepreneurs and business leaders, the movement from traditional marketing to digital marketing represents a significant opportunity for anyone interested in created new pockets of revenue. Consider that last year  nearly $27 billion  was spent on Facebook ads. If you are able to master Facebook marketing for a niche market that spends one ten thousandth of $27 billion, the total addressable market is still worth $2.7 million. Thi

Having a distinct and recognizable brand voice can really give your business a boost. As a brand, it's important to have a distinct and unique  brand voice  so people recognize it. However, creating that brand is often easier said than done. But with a few quick and easy tips, you'll be well on your way to creating a strong brand voice for your company. For starters, evaluate your brand's current voice, and decide what you like and don't like about it. Also look at how your brand voice has evolved and what it looked like in the past. Asking yourself these questions can help: Has it been consistent? Does it align with your  core values ? Still not sure where to start? Look around for  inspiration  -- examining how your competitors are developing their voices can help you figure out the right tone for yours. Creating an outline of this ideal voice and the steps that you'll need to take to get there will help create a clear, concise and actionable plan. That

Now that you understand why you need a business plan and you've spent some time doing your homework gathering the information you need to create one, it's time to roll up your sleeves and get everything down on paper. The following pages will describe in detail the seven essential sections of a business plan: what you should include, what you shouldn't include, how to work the numbers and additional resources you can turn to for help. With that in mind, jump right in. Executive Summary Within the overall outline of the business plan, the executive summary will follow the title page. The summary should tell the reader what you want. This is very important. All too often, what the business owner desires is buried on page eight. Clearly state what you're asking for in the summary. Business Description The business description usually begins with a short description of the industry. When describing the industry, discuss the present outlook as well as future po