SEVEN individuals from the Philippines were included in the Forbes “30 Under 30” Class of 2024, which features 300 young entrepreneurs, leaders, and trailblazers across the Asia-Pacific region under the age of 30.
The listees were chosen from over 4,000 candidates who were then evaluated by the Forbes Asia team and a panel of independent judges on factors such as funding and revenue, social impact, scale, inventiveness, and potential.
“The world may be in flux but the entrepreneurs on the 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list continue to find creative ways to navigate new business realities and transform their industries,” Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Editor Rana Wehbe Watson said.
The list includes 30 honorees each in 10 categories: Arts; Entertainment and Sports; Finance and Venture Capital; Media, Marketing, and Advertising; Retail and e-Commerce; Enterprise Technology; Industry; Manufacturing and Energy; Healthcare and Science; Social Impact; and Consumer Technology.
Below are the honorees from the Philippines:
* Chia Amisola â artist, 21
“Chia Amisola is a Filipino internet artist and founder of Developh, a nonprofit community that seeks to promote the use of ‘technology as a tool for liberation rather than oppression.’ Established in 2016, Developh oversees the Philippine Internet Archive that aims to preserve ‘digital work, movements, cultures, and art’ and engages in new media arts.
* Amanda Cua â BackScoop founder, 21
“Amanda Cua founded Backscoop after she realized how hard it was to keep up with news about tech and startups in Southeast Asia. Backscoop is a newsletter on the startup scene, but Cua has started to run partner content as well. Cua says her updates and One More Scoop podcast helped startup founders find investors, and she has tens of thousands of followers.
* Ramon Christian “Arshie” Larga â content creator, 27
“Ramon Christian Larga is teaching about safe medicine use in a funny, compelling way. The licensed pharmacist, who works in his family’s pharmacy in Marinduque, has attracted nearly 4 million followers on TikTok. He has started fundraising through social media, using the proceeds to pay the pharmaceutical bills of customers who can’t afford them.
* Abigail Marquez â content creator, 23
“Abigail Marquez has been crowned the âLumpia Queenâ for her obsession with one Philippine fried snack, but she promotes all aspects of her nation’s food culture, a passion she has had since the age of four. Marquez trained as a chef before moving into videography, and now runs a cooking channel on TikTok with more than 3 million followers.
* Ezekiel Miller â rapper, 25
“The rap talents of Ez Mil caught the attention of legends Dr. Dre and Eminem. Ez Mil first attracted attention with his reflections on Philippine nationalism in the track “Panalo,” but it was last year’s “Up Down” that brought him together with Dre and Eminem, with the latter performing on Ez Mil’s 2023 album “DU4LI7Y: REDUX.”
* Mikaela Helene Reyes â Parallax cofounder, 29
“Mikaela Reyes is a cofounder of Manila-based cross-border payment startup Parallax, which makes it easier and cheaper to move money around the globe using cryptocurrency and blockchain. She launched Parallax in 2023 after working as a freelancer and experiencing the hassles of getting paid from another country.
* Joshua Serafin â artist, 28
“Joshua Serafin is a Philippine artist based in Brussels. Serafin combines dance, music and theatre with live performance, typically exploring concepts of cultural identity, transmigration and queer representation.
Across the region, India led the pack with 85 listees, followed by Japan with 33, China with 32, Singapore with 27, and Australia with 26. (GMA Integrated News)
