January 2026

We are thrilled to share that Midland alum Maggie Tang ’18 has been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2026 in the Food & Drink category – an extraordinary accomplishment and a testament to her creativity, innovation, and leadership. This marks the second consecutive year that a Midland alum has made the list; last year we celebrated Mark Gong ‘17 for his achievements in fashion design. 

Maggie’s journey into hospitality began early – her first kitchen job came at age 13. After honing her craft in some of the world’s most renowned kitchens, including Eleven Madison Park, Maggie moved into the world of technology and innovation.

Today, she is the founder of Magic, an AI company building tools that power real-world guest experiences. Magic’s first product, Loyalist, is an agentic CRM platform used by top-tier restaurants such as Carbone, Momofuku, Le Bernardin, COTE, to personalize hospitality. The company raised $10 million in seed funding this past October, backed by Lerer Hippeau, Bling Capital, and Major Feed Group – a strong signal of confidence in Maggie’s vision and leadership.

We last interviewed Maggie when she was a senior at Wharton, the business school of UPenn, in the spring of 2022. This week, we had a chance to catch up with Maggie and ask about her recent accolades, as well as the journey that got her there.

What does this recognition mean to you personally—and what does it mean to the communities, mentors, and experiences that shaped you?

“It’s humbling to be recognized alongside people doing such incredible work. I’m really grateful for my team and everyone who has supported me along the journey”

She didn’t know what her future would hold when she graduated from Midland but she knew that she had always appreciated food as a means of bringing people together and loved her time working in the Midland kitchen. 

“During my first half holiday at Midland, a couple of seniors and I decided to go into the kitchen and make apple crisp with BG . I loved having  that shared experience, and also how happy it made everybody when we served it during dinner. I think I was really hooked on that feeling, and that’s why I kept going back to the kitchen”

“I made Sunday morning pancakes every week, I made desserts for everybody, and I chose being in the kitchen as my activity every year during a sports season. That led me to choose fine dining as my senior thesis topic… And so during Experiential Week, I went and worked at Atelier Crenn,  a three Michelin star restaurant, and that was really the beginning of my career in hospitality.”

Looking back to your graduation from Midland, what did you imagine your future might look like—and how did your path unfold from there?

“I was fortunate because I got to explore a lot of the hospitality industry in a very organic way. I don’t know if I would have fallen in love with hospitality so early in my life if I didn’t go to Midland.” 

Throughout college, Maggie landed several opportunities to work in hospitality and experienced firsthand some of the problems of the industry that she is now trying to solve with Magic.

“Magic’s mission is to create personalized experiences in the real world. We’re focused on enabling restaurants, hotels and retail businesses with the tools to amplify human connection.” 

Which skills or mindsets from Midland do you find yourself drawing on most often in your work today?

“I think a lot of what I did at Midland – working in the kitchen, being a part of the social committee, student council, was all about bringing people together and creating memorable moments.”  

Midland-learned lessons of how to problem solve with limited resources have shown up in Maggie’s professional life, especially when starting a company from the ground up. In the early days, she describes herself as being “scrappy with limited resources” until they had more to work with and build on. Maggie also cites the leadership roles she was able to take on at Midland as critical for developing the skills she used to start a company and build a team.

How did Midland prepare you to navigate uncertainty or take calculated risks?

“Starting a company is just one long exercise in being uncomfortable. Midland was training for that, even if I didn’t know it at the time. At Midland, you learn to show up and do the work, even when no one’s watching. The jobs program, work period—you learn that consistency compounds. That’s basically my whole job today.” 

If a Midland student dreams of making an impact in their field, what is your best guidance for them?

“Don’t be afraid to take risks and pursue career paths that might be unconventional or different from what everyone else is doing. For me specifically, when I went to Wharton, a lot of people kind of fell under the same career paths like finance and consulting, and what I was doing in restaurants was really different. So I would say: don’t be afraid to pursue what you’re really interested in. If you’re curious and eager, you will find career opportunities that align with your interests.

… I would also say that cold emails are really powerful and everybody should learn how to write a really great email. Every job that I have gotten since high school has been through a cold email or cold call”

Where do you hope your journey leads next?

“This is my life’s work. At Magic, we’re building the AI infrastructure layer for the real world—helping the places people love remember the people who love them. And we’re just getting started. “

Maggie’s work reflects the core values that Midland cultivates: curiosity, creative problem-solving, and a commitment to meaningful human experiences. We are so proud of her achievements and look forward to following her future successes.

Written by Raymond Carr ’21, Admissions and Advancement Associate