This week in TIME Magazine's World edition:

TIME Magazine

Issue Dated 25th September

How We Chose the 2023 TIME100 Next

I first heard Wemimo Abbey speak in August at the inaugural TIME Impact House in Martha’s Vineyard. It was clear to everyone that night that Abbey’s is a story worth sharing. Together with Samir Goel, the two co-founders have built Esusu, a five-year-old company that helps Americans use their rental history to build credit scores. Abbey, who emigrated as a 17-year-old to the U.S. from Nigeria, watched his mother struggle to repay a high-interest loan because of a lack of credit history—something without which millions of people and communities across the country are unable to access loans that can create wealth.

Abbey’s example is a powerful one, showing how personal insight can inspire societal change. It demonstrates that rethinking accepted ideas can create new possibilities for millions of people. His is one of 100 stories that are told within this year’s TIME100 Next.

That is the point of the TIME100 Next. In 2019, we launched the list as part of our own effort to evolve how TIME tells stories. Traditionally, with efforts like Person of the Year and TIME100, we have used the power of our spotlight to draw attention to those who have achieved peak influence in their fields. But a great magazine and a great media company should not just reflect the present, it should push us forward, showing what is possible as well as what society’s future and future leaders will look like. That is our ambition for TIME100 Next, our annual franchise recognizing the rising leaders in health, climate, business, sports, the arts and more.