How Gen-Z Entrepreneurs Are Leveraging AI For Success
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Working on a college campus, I have the opportunity to interact with the next generation of leaders, who are often very entrepreneurial and also tech-savvy.
In a recent Nielsen study, 54% of Gen-Z respondents expressed the desire to start their own business, so training this next generation of business leaders for success is very important. In addition, according to a Harris Poll, 82% of Gen-Z use GenAI tools regularly and 98% say that it will impact their jobs in the next five years.
When I look at the significant desire Gen-Z students have to start their own businesses, combined with the fact that they are already leveraging generative AI so heavily, I believe the next generation of entrepreneurs is going to change the way they operate.
Industry ExamplesI recently chatted with a senior at Babson College who started his own business while still in high school. His business embodies the social responsibility focus that many Gen-Z students have; he works with organizations to collect their e-waste and distribute the discarded technology to people in need. Not only does the business keep technology out of landfills, but it expands technology access to those who normally would not have it.
This student is also leveraging AI significantly in his small business. He and his team have built a custom GPT that is used by his leadership team to streamline writing emails, proposals, press releases and social media posts. He also uses AI for budget analysis and has AI integrated into his CRM, so his organization can measure impact and operational processes, such as how many computers are refurbished per day and how many computers they are able to donate.
This young entrepreneur is scheduled to graduate in a few months and intends to continue to work for himself and grow his business, leveraging both his AI and entrepreneurial skills.
I also recently had conversations with several other students from Northeastern University and Babson, who are also on the leading edge of AI. One student noted that he started his first business at age 12 and sold it at age 16. Since that time, he and another student have started an AI business, building AI solutions for small- and medium-sized companies.
We discussed the impact that AI will have on the careers of recent college graduates. According to the World Economic Forum, 41% of organizations expect workforce reductions by 2030. Recent grads believe that AI will transform startups, supercharge productivity and change the work that both entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs perform. They also note that with agentic AI, manual and monotonous tasks will go away, allowing for leaner startups where employees can focus on higher-value work.
How Can We Support The Next Generation?It is critical for college students to learn how to leverage these skills now so they can integrate them into their jobs when they enter the workforce. Teachers and mentors are a critical part of this learning journey. Learning how to foster creativity, become resilient and engage in critical thinking are key soft skills. When you combine those skills with game-changing technology like AI, students are prepared for success when they graduate.
In a recent conversation with faculty at Babson, the faculty explained how they take a cross-disciplinary approach to incorporating AI into the curriculum. In writing courses, we see assignments that incorporate AI into writing, but they also leverage critical reasoning skills to educate students on the pros and cons of AI as well as how the human in the loop is always important. In management courses, faculty are asking students to create AI bots to solve business problems, allowing the students to learn critical skills while also addressing larger business or societal needs.
When designing courses and education programs for these future entrepreneurs, focusing on these key elements is something that all organizations need to do.
Other organizations like Northeastern University have built co-op programs around AI, having student project teams build an entire AI solution for local government organizations over a six- to nine-month period. Learning AI in the classroom from faculty who are excited about the possibilities, as well as gaining critical skills through internships, transforms the learning experience.
Gen-Z's natural propensity to gravitate to inclusivity and environmental and social ventures, combined with their digital native skills, gives them a great starting point to venture into entrepreneurial endeavors. We need to help these young leaders cultivate both the soft skills and tech skills to help them in this journey and position them for success in the working world.
Source:
https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2025/04/16/how-gen-z-entrepreneurs-are-leveraging-ai-for-success/
