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Harvard grad Jesse Zhang’s first business, a gaming startup called Lowkey, was acquired by Niantic Labs (a startup rolling out of Google) in 2021, just about three years after its launch.

Last week, Zhang’s newest startup Decagon, just over two years old, announced $250 million in new funding. That brought the company’s total valuation to $4.5 billion, and total funding to over $500 million.

The common denominator between both these successes is simple. Zhang, 28, knows how to spot a hot industry. First it was gaming, which even today continues to get bigger. Now, with Decagon, it’s AI agents doing customer service.

“Whenever there’s a big technology shift—in this case with AI—it just opens the door for a lot of companies. But really, the number of great ideas is usually pretty small, ” Zhang, who was honored on the 2026 Under 30 list, told Forbes. “Your job as a founder is to try to figure out what those are, ideally at the beginning of the cycle.”

But what are AI agents, and why do the world’s largest companies suddenly care so much about them? Simply put, these bots can take actions on their own to get things done, freeing up a human worker’s time. In Decagon’s case, AI agents are being used to handle tasks such as responding to basic customer questions, processing refunds, canceling subscriptions, and perhaps even helping troubleshoot account access.

Zhang, alongside Decagon cofounder and fellow U30 alum Ashwin Sreenivas, went on a bit of a roadshow, meeting up with different kinds of companies to understand how, and if, AI agents could be of benefit to their business models. Some of the biggest name brands, including Duolingo, Hertz and now Deutsche Telekom, are currently using the startup’s services.

It wasn’t long before investors came rushing, too, charming the cofounders with seats at basketball games. By the time Decagon already had some $255 million—from VC firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Accel—Zhang told Forbes he “never really sought out funding or went out to raise.” Now another massive round is in the books, led by new investors Index Ventures and Coatue Management. “The same way that we compete for customers… they’re competing hard to invest in certain companies,” Zhang said in December.

While the young company (run by its young founders) is clearly on the upward trajectory, it isn’t without competition. It’s up against the likes of Salesforce, Intercom and Zendesk, companies that are well exceeding Decagon’s estimated revenue of $12 million in 2025.

But Zhang isn’t necessarily worried. He’s betting that, as with gaming a few years ago, the biggest winners in AI-powered customer service won’t be the legacy players—but the startups built specifically for the shift. Read our Daily Cover Story on Decagon here.

More next week,

Zoya & Alex

The Under 30 Summit is Calling! Are You Coming?

If Under 30 is on your radar, this belongs on your calendar. For the first time, Forbes is heading to Phoenix, AZ from April 19–22 to unlock that southwest energy at the 2026 Forbes Under 30 Summit. From immersive experiences to meaningful connections, this is where momentum builds and ideas move forward.

Register Today!

Sam Altman Reveals Why OpenAI Is Poised To Make The Biggest Business Bets Ever

As CEO of OpenAI, the 40-year-old billionaire unleashed ChatGPT, mainstreaming artificial intelligence and creating a $500 billion behemoth. As a new father—with another baby on the way—he’s building the world his kids will live in one day. Read the Forbes profile on Altman here.

On Our Radar

-Spotify is going analog! With books like Rachel Reid’s Heated Rivalry and Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation being adapted for highly anticipated (and virally beloved) film and TV renditions, Spotify is moving in the other direction. The audio giant announced this week that they’re going to start selling physical copies of audio books. This spring, they’ll start the partnership with local and independent bookstores and take a cut of each book sold. (TechCrunch)

-The week before the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics opening ceremony seems like the perfect time to… lay off your sports staff? The Washington Post announced on Wednesday that there would be significant layoffs at the publication, impacting hundreds of employees. While some reporters will allegedly still cover high profile sporting events, all members of the sports department would be either reassigned or made redundant. (The New York Times)

-More on the layoff front, Under 30 alum Tyler Denk, the cofounder of newsletter platform Beehiiv, is stepping in. He posted on X this week that his platform will be made free for a year to any laid off Post employees looking to go independent. (See his post on X here)

One Minute With Joshua Sutherland

We’re bringing you the scoop on a new Under 30 community member. Up this week: Joshua Sutherland, a 2026 Forbes Under 30 lister who’s the brains behind the tunes that get played in the NFL. He’s choosing the music for the NFL’s broadcasts, social feeds and digital content. (P.S. Happy Super Bowl weekend to those who celebrate!)

The following has been slightly edited for length and clarity.

Give us the scoop: What really goes into choosing the music we hear during NFL games and content? It’s about spotting what’s trending, selecting the team anthems that fire up fans, and most importantly, hitting the heartstrings of audiences of all ages, backgrounds and cultures. In a broadcast bumper or in our content, we sometimes have just a few seconds to grab attention. Every second counts. Every beat must deliver excitement, anticipation, and, at times, a hint of pure nostalgia.

How did you land your current role with the NFL? I’d like to say it was my smile and positive attitude, but at its core, I attribute landing this role to my ability to build long-term relationships without expecting anything in return, and to my humility to DM people and ask for help. Working at the NFL was never on my radar—it always felt out of reach. It was through a relationship I had cultivated that I learned when a position had opened.

What’s the most common question you get asked about your job?Do you pick the Super Bowl Halftime performer…no.

What’s a sync placement you’re especially proud of that most people would never notice? Our 2025 Holiday Games commercial that featured a remixed version of “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” by James Brown.

You’ve worked across TV, sports and brands. What’s the biggest difference between curating for HBO versus the NFL? The biggest difference between working for HBO and the NFL is time. At the NFL, we move incredibly fast, sometimes clearing a song within hours. On a scripted television show, you have months of production and post-production; from what I experienced, the runway is much longer.

The NFL season is only six months. We’re in the trenches for all of them. Each week, our backs are against the wall highlighting new music releases, clearing halftime performances for posting, and planning for those unexpected cultural moments we want to be part of. The tricky part is that no matter what we hope to accomplish, it all has to be done by kickoff, because at the end of the day, the game goes on…regardless of if our approval is in or not.

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about how music impacts viewership and engagement? The most surprising thing I’ve learned is football and music can literally bring fans of all backgrounds, ages and cultures together. There’s nothing better than seeing a stadium full of fans belting out “Mr. Brightside,” “Livin’ on a Prayer,” or “Take Me Home, Country Roads” in unison, whether it’s here or halfway around the world. And when those moments go viral across social, we’re now creating memories that can be relived and passed down from one generation to the next.

How much does the host city influence the music choices, if at all? We try, whenever possible, to highlight artists from the host city—or at least feature music from artists we know the fans will appreciate.

What’s your ideal Super Bowl night once the pressure’s off? I’ll be sending a message to all my coworkers and friends to congratulate them on a season well done. Each season brings a new set of challenges, obstacles, and, inevitably, the disappointment of getting a request denied. The ability to pivot, adapt, and keep moving forward, regardless of your circumstances, is an underappreciated skill that can’t be taught; it’s learned through experience.

I can honestly say the people I work with aren’t just the best in the business, they’re the ones I’d choose to face any challenge with. The love for the game takes on a whole new meaning when you recognize who’s making it all possible.

Your personal go-to song or artist? “As” by Stevie Wonder or “tv off” by Kendrick Lamar.

One habit that’s made the biggest difference in your career? Waking up at 5:30 and hitting the gym has transformed not just my career, but my entire life. It gives me the chance to clear my mind, set my intentions and strengthen my body, so the rest of my day feels unstoppable. We spend so many hours working for others or chasing goals yet rarely invest in ourselves. Waking up early is my choice to put myself first, so I can show up fully and give my best to the world every single day.

A piece of advice you’d give to someone entering the industry? Focus on building genuine relationships. Whether it’s with your peers, your mentors or a stranger you happen to meet, you never really know where a simple conversation might lead. I’ve learned that the moments I walked in expecting an opportunity were often the ones that led nowhere. But when I showed up with curiosity, humility and no expectation of return, I walked away with far more than I imagined, sometimes even with the very opportunity I wasn’t looking for.