I’m a VC founder and mother to 5 Gen Z kids. My listening tour of 50 young adults shows a hunger to work hard and rewrite the American Dream

ary·Gen ZI’m a VC founder and mother to 5 Gen Z kids

My listening tour of 50 young adults shows a hunger to work hard and rewrite the American DreamBy Lori CashmanBy Lori Cashman Lori Cashman is the founder and General Partner of Visible Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm in solutions that advance health, wealth, and opportunity

Her focus is on backing founders who challenge outdated systems and build for the next generation

She is a graduate of Duke University

Gen Z is rewriting the playbook for success.Getty ImagesThe American Dream isn’t broken — it’s evolving

Scrappy, self-aware, and determined to build s defined by purpose, stability, and ownership, Gen Z isn’t waiting around for a savior

They’re rewriting the playbook for success themselves

The biggest demographic shift in history is already underway

Whether we respond with intention — or not — will shape , , and society for decades

As a mom of five Gen Z kids and the founder of a venture fund focused on investments geared toward remedying generational fractures, I’ve had a front row seat observing the work ethic and drive of this generation

The prevailing narrative this generation, that they’re entitled, aimless, or fragile, couldn’t be further from what I’ve observed in my own children and the 15–20 college interns I mentor every summer

Instead, I see young people who are curious, inclusive, digitally fluent, and relentlessly resourceful

They’re resume-maximizers juggling part-time jobs, side hustles, s, and coursework, all while navigating a social media environment designed to distract or diminish them

Listening sessions and pulse checks To better understand the friction between Gen Z’s ambition and the world they’re inheriting, Visible Ventures partnered with The Up and Up, a media and strategy firm focused on Gen Z, to conduct a series of listening sessions and pulse checks with more than 50 Gen Zers

The results revealed a glaring truth: the future they envision requires on-ramps to economic opportunity and mental wellbeing, but right now, inflation and the sky-high cost of college often stand in their way

Saddled with debt, priced out of the housing market, struggling with loneliness, and staring down a chaotic world, less than half of young adults feel a sense of community

They aren’t exaggerating the obstacles

Rent growth has far outpaced wage gains

Inflation permeates grocery bills, insurance, and even mass transit fees

As recently reported in a Bank of America Better Money Habits report, despite the fact that Gen Z is financially self-aware, financially action-oriented, and in tune with economic reality, (distinguishing them from any prior generation’s behaviors at the same age), more than a third feel financially stressed due to insufficient income and macroeconomic instability

This is a collective blem

Their success isn’t a side narrative

In fact, it’s a structural necessity

If we don’t the barriers that limit their potential today, we jeopardize the very engine that’s meant to carry our economy forward tomorrow

Looking for a sense of purpose Through our conversations with students and early career fessionals ranging in industries from consulting to teaching and construction, we learned that when it comes to their futures, many in this generation are not preoccupied with traditional or generating massive wealth

Instead, they want to be debt-free and to build a financial safety net

As one 20-year-old woman told us, her vision of success is not living “paycheck to paycheck,” and “being able to at least a little bit, doesn’t have to be a lot.” Another 24-year-old d: “What I want is a future—and a financial foundation I can control.” Beyond financial security, young people today are looking for a sense of purpose

Still others avoid romantic relationships so they can prioritize saving money and advancing in their careers

They repeatedly d that the cost of going on dates and paying for two rather than one is simply not feasible

Skeptical of abiding by the way things have been just for the sake of tradition, they are reinventing traditional markers of success

Data shows that half of Gen Z wants to start their own company

From small owners to start-up founders, we saw that trendline in our own re too

Instead of disincentivizing this generation’s entrepreneurial spirit, belittling them wanting to be their own boss, they need support for their endeavors

If we want a future defined by agency, not anxiety, we need to expand the paths to wealth and invest in the infrastructure that helps young people get there

That means mentorship, early capital, and visibility into real-world opportunities beyond the traditional four year-degree or Silicon Valley playbook

Whether expanding access to vocational training, or adopting micro-credentialing to refresh and augment skills, we need to build pathways that connect Gen Z to paychecks and long-term financial stability

Entire sectors, skilled trades, caregiving, and community-rooted services, are ripe for reinvention, yet too often overlooked by capital and culture a

As AI reshapes the employment landscape, we must equip Gen Z to not just survive the shifts, but to shape them

Thinking a founder doesn’t require a pitch deck

It requires grit, agency, and ambition

Let’s stop underestimating this generation and instead act with intention by in the systems, support, and mentorship they need to turn their version of the American Dream into reality

Explore this year's list.