Forbes Under 30 Summit Brings Young Innovators From Across The World To Boston
BOSTON (CBS) - The future leaders of almost every field from all around the country converged on Boston Tuesday. They're here for the Forbes Under 30 Summit, a place for young people to learn and meet other innovators.
The summit kicked off the day with some star power. Multi Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps led a run along the Charles River for Forbes Summit goers in cooperation with the Pan Mass Challenge.
"For me, it's an honor being here because these people are the guys who are going to change our world and change our country," Phelps says.
Then about 6000 people under 30 attended dozens of sessions with some of the top innovators in the country. They got to have some fun on City Hall Plaza at the Summit Village while connecting with cutting edge entrepreneurs.
"I think it's amazing because it brings together people from so many different industries who are all young and passionate about what they're doing," says Priyanka Jain, who is attending the event from New York.
"It's about creating a network around the world of these under 30s," says Mike Federle, the President of Forbes Media. He says Boston is perfect for the summit because of all the universities here and for the area's reputation as an idea center. "We love the idea of Boston. What we're hoping is that over a period of years we build a major global event here," he says.
"I feel inspired to just be a better leader, a better business person," says Jessica Mah, a speaker at one of Tuesday's sessions.
And through the networking, established and aspiring entrepreneurs can expand their horizons, their businesses and their visions.
"Just today I met 3 entrepreneurs, 2 undergraduate students and another Ph.D. student like myself. So it's fantastic" says Bjorn Jensen, from Purdue University.
"You can learn from the people who are giving the speeches and everything, but you can learn from one another," adds Ryan Dumont.
This is the first time the summit is in Boston. The 4-day event wraps up on Wednesday.