AI ready: The advantages of being a young entrepreneur

"Even before he'd graduated from the University of Bath in 2024, Arnau Ayerbe landed a highly coveted role as an AI engineer with JP Morgan - yet he felt limited and uninspired. "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," recalls London-based Ayerbe."

"They joined forces in London in 2023 with Ayerbe's university friend, Bergen Merey, to launch Throxy, which creates AI agents for sales teams. Now all aged 24, the trio have raised nearly 5m in two rounds of investor funding, and annual sales of almost 1.2m. They're part of a growing number of 20-somethings who've taken the leap to start their own businesses. Data from Enterprise Nation shows that, in the UK, 62% of Gen Z - those born between 1997 and 2012 - want to start a business."

"For the young entrepreneurs at Throxy, it's been a rewarding but gruelling experience. Ramos declares that there's no nine to five culture at Throxy, rather a "9-9-6" ethos of working 9am to 9pm, six days a week. And Ayerbe adds: "If I had known the amount of effort and work I needed to do to take the company to this point, I would probably have never started it.""

"Throxy's founders say one big advantage they have on their side compared with other generations is their familiarity of AI. For Garcia, it felt natural to build an AI-led business. "I was working with early models of Chat GPT on research projects before they were released to the public on research, and it honestly felt like magic.""

Three 24-year-olds left corporate engineering roles in London to found Throxy in 2023, building AI agents for sales teams. The company has raised nearly £5m across two funding rounds and achieved almost £1.2m in annual sales. The founders attribute their advantage to deep familiarity with AI tools and early experimentation with models such as ChatGPT. Their startup experience has been demanding, with a 9am–9pm, six-day work ethic and acknowledgment of the heavy effort required to scale the business. Broader UK data shows strong Gen Z interest in entrepreneurship and rising Start Up Loans to Gen Z founders.

Read at www.bbc.com