Founder18
Holden Bierman
17 Y/O•Holly Springs, North Carolina, USA•Retail

Holden Bierman

One of the youngest U.S. founders to launch and run a sustainability-linked swimwear brand (Coastal Cool) starting at age 12–13 — documented by ABC News (Oct 2025) and WECT (Apr 2026). [estimated superlative — flag for verification]

What they built

Founded Coastal Cool at age 12 in 2020 during COVID-19 lockdown — a sustainable swimwear and resortwear brand built around the idea that everyday life should feel coastal and unhurried. Each product is made from recycled plastic bottles and consumer waste, and every purchase removes one pound of ocean plastic through a partnership with Tidey. What started with a $500 budget and a bedroom sketchpad grew into a nationally recognised brand featured on Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, and Fox Business, with over 85,000 plastic bottles removed to date.

View Project

The F18 Thesis

Verified track record

  • Business Insider — "I'm a 17-Year-Old CEO Who's Juggling High School and a Business" (Jun 22, 2025) (source)
  • Fox News — "17 year-old business owner touts surge in Gen Z entrepreneurship" (Jul 9, 2025) (source)
  • Fox Business — "Coastal Cool's 17-year-old CEO reveals the secret to building a 'product with a purpose'" (source)
  • YouTube / Harvest Growth — "Young Founder Holden Bierman on Building Coastal Cool During High School" (Jan 14, 2025) (source)
  • LinkedIn profile (public, lists personal contact email holden@coastalcool.co) (source)
  • Coastal Cool About page confirming 2020 founding at age 12 (source)
Updated April 27, 2026