Multiple Filipinos Make it on Forbes “30 Under 30 Asia” List

On Thursday, Forbes released its seventh edition of the “30 Under 30 Asia List” which featured 12 Filipino entrepreneurs among 300 innovators within the Asia-Pacific region. The list recognized individuals as young leaders who were “inspiring change and driving innovation in their respective fields amid the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“Selected from over 4,000 nominations, a record number for the Asia list, researched by Forbes journalists from across the region and vetted by industry veterans, this select group of relentless individuals are disrupting industries and tackling major global issues,” explained the prominent business magazine in a press release.

“The criteria for honorees making the list include their demonstration of leadership, how they embody the entrepreneurial spirit that is synonymous with Forbes, and their potential of success in their industry. Other factors like innovation, disruption – and size and growth of their ventures in some categories – play a role in making the final decision,” it added. The list covers 10 different categories, each of which features at least 30 honorees. Filipinos were included in five out of the 10 categories, namely: consumer technology, finance and venture capital, industry manufacturing and energy, retail and commerce, and social impact.

Forbes identified two Filipino startups, along with its founders, under the consumer technology category. The list mentioned co-founders of local esports startup AcadArena — consisting of Justin Banusing, Kevin Hoang, and Ariane Lim. AcadArena aims provide student gamers in Southeast Asia with the necessary assistance for competing in international esports events. The startup, founded in 2019, has partnered with more than 600 schools covering over 100,000 students. Earlier in December 2021, AcadArena raised $3.5 million in seed funding with backing from Iterative Capital, Infinity Ventures Crypto, and Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin.

Within the same category are BreederDAO’s Jeth Lorenz Ang, Renz Carlo Chong, and Nicolo Alfonso Odulio. BreederDAO, on the other hand, enables players to become more competitive in play-to-earn games. It helps craft NFTs for blockchain games such as Axie Infinity. The digital asset provider raised $10 million in series A funding in January 2022 — just two months after it was established.

Forbes also featured Masungi Georeserve Foundation co-founder Billie Dumaliang and One Cainta Food Program executive director Shawntel Nicole Martinez Nieto under the social impact category; Kraver’s Canteen co-founder Victor Lim under the retail and commerce category; Aqwire founders Earvin Ang and Jesse Manalansan under the finance and venture capital category; and Inteluck founder Kevin Zhang under the industry, manufacturing and energy category.

Sources: Rappler, Inquirer