by Selena Hill
May 6, 2026
Zoom is giving away $150K to entrepreneurs in light of the new wave of solo founders
The American dream is evolving from corner offices and corporate ladders to laptops, flexibility, and one-person powerhouses building empires from scratch. In a move that feels both timely and telling, Zoom is placing a $150,000 bet on that shift.
The video communications giant announced it will award $30,000 each to five standout solo founders as part of its inaugural Zoom Solopreneur 50, a new initiative spotlighting innovative one-person businesses across the country. All five winners will also receive access to the company’s network of experts and technology resources.
The initiative reflects a shift away from big teams, offices, and valuations, and instead, it celebrates individuals who are rewriting the rules of success while building sustainable businesses without employees or financial backing.
What is the Zoom Solopreneur 50 Grant?
“The Solopreneur 50 is our way of recognizing that shift early,” said Kimberly Storin, Zoom’s chief marketing officer, according to Fortune. “It highlights a new class of builders who are redefining what a company looks like and proving that ambition today is shaped more by focus and capability than by size.”
The “Rise of the Solopreneur”
More and more people are opting out of traditional work pathways for a career fueled by technology, accelerated by AI, and rooted in autonomy. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, more than 33 million Americans are self-employed, while 82% of them operate with zero employees. Nearly 3,000 applicants from over 400 cities across 48 states applied to be part of the Solopreneur 50, signaling just how widespread the solo founder movement has become. The largest share of applicants came from consulting and service-based businesses, followed by health, wellness, and social impact sectors.
The five selected grant recipients were chosen by an independent panel of academics and business leaders who evaluated candidates based on the originality of their idea, demonstrated growth and sustainability, customer and community impact, alignment between values and business practices, and influence within their field.
Meet Two of the Grant Recipients
Among the grant winners are Michael Odokara-Okigbo, the founder of NKENNEAi, an AI-driven platform for African language translation worldwide, and Cierra Gross, founder of Worklution, Inc., a workplace documentation pool being used by more than 22,000 employees. Both said they would use the grant to scale their businesses.
“As a solo entrepreneur who is completely bootstrapped, I’m building without a large team or safety net,” Gross told Inc., “so this recognition affirms that the work I’m doing is not only needed, but impactful. It also creates more visibility for the mission behind my work, which is to provide people with information and tools they need to advance their careers and improve their lives.”
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