LONDON, Jan 23 (ABC): Even before graduating from the University of Bath in 2024, London-based Arnau Ayerbe secured a coveted position as an AI engineer at JPMorgan Chase. Yet despite the prestige of the role, he soon felt constrained by the corporate environment.
“I realised very quickly that the person to my right and to my left were going to be me in 20 years, and I didn’t want to become that,” Ayerbe said.
His longtime friend from Madrid, Pablo Jiménez de Parga Ramos, who had taken a corporate job after graduating from University College London, shared similar doubts. Along with Bergen Merey, a university friend of Ayerbe, the trio teamed up in London in 2023 to launch Throxy, a company that develops AI-powered agents for sales teams.
Now aged 24, the founders have raised nearly £5 million in two funding rounds and report annual sales approaching £1.2 million. Their journey reflects a wider trend of young people embracing entrepreneurship. According to Enterprise Nation, 62% of Gen Z individuals in the UK — those born between 1997 and 2012 — want to start their own business. Data from the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme shows the number of loans awarded to Gen Z founders has doubled over the past five years.
For Throxy’s founders, the rewards have come with intense pressure. Ramos describes the company culture as “9-9-6” — working from 9am to 9pm, six days a week. Ayerbe admits that had he fully understood the workload required, he might not have taken the leap at all.
Still, the founders say their familiarity with artificial intelligence gives them an edge. Working with early versions of OpenAI’s ChatGPT during research projects, one of the co-founders said the technology felt “transformational,” reinforcing the belief that AI would fundamentally reshape how people work.
Research by global investment network Antler suggests that AI entrepreneurship is increasingly led by younger founders. An analysis of more than 3,500 founders behind companies valued at over $1 billion found that the average age of AI unicorn founders fell from 40 in 2020 to 29 in 2024.
However, running a business in one’s 20s can bring challenges, particularly when dealing with older clients and partners. London-based entrepreneur Rosie Skuse recalls being mistaken for an assistant rather than the owner of her company during her early 20s.
“People wouldn’t even shake my hand,” she said, adding that once she began speaking, perceptions quickly changed.
Now 29, Skuse is founder and chief executive of Molto Music Group, a music and entertainment agency serving luxury clients including The Dorchester, The Savoy, Soho House and Raffles. The company works with more than 300 musicians and also collaborates with luxury brands such as Hermès and Patek Philippe.
Despite launching in 2019 and facing major setbacks during the Covid-19 pandemic, Molto Music Group recorded its first £1 million in revenue in 2023 and turned over £1.6 million in 2025. Skuse says she has no formal business education and learned through experience, but believes youth can be a strength in a competitive market.
More seasoned entrepreneurs urge caution. Lee Broders, who started his first business at 26 and now runs multiple ventures, says rapid growth can mask weak foundations. “Turning over a million pounds doesn’t mean much if margins are razor thin,” he warned.
Sarah Skelton, co-founder and managing director of recruitment firm Flourish, also stresses the importance of experience and professional networks. Having started her first business at 46, she believes younger founders may miss out on leadership skills gained through traditional careers.
“Networks are built over years,” Skelton said. “When you’re very young and go straight into entrepreneurship, it can be hard to know who to lean on.”
Even so, as AI lowers barriers to entry and reshapes industries, young entrepreneurs continue to play an increasingly prominent role in defining the future of business.