THE ASIA 30 UNDER 30
Asia is the fastest-growing region on the planet, and the boundless spirit of young entrepreneurs like these is one big reason why.
THE 300 MILLENNIALS on our new 30 Under 30 Asia list work in ten categories across 24 countries—from fashion in China to fish farming in Indonesia. Their entrepreneurial drive is shaping the future of business and life in the fastest-growing part of the planet. For the full list, please see forbes.com/30-under-30-asia/2017.
Media, Marketing & Advertising Hyung Cheol Lim, Goeun Choe; 26, 25 SOUTH KOREA COFOUNDERS, GAMEBERRY
Seven years ago, the now-engaged couple founded Gameberry, whose mobile advertising platform uses algorithms to efficiently pair advertisers and publishers.
Entertainment & Sports Suboi, 27 VIETNAM SINGER
Vietnam’s “Queen of Hip-hop” gave a presidential performance last year, rapping for Barack Obama while he beatboxed during his visit to Ho Chi Minh City. Suboi’s unique blend of English and Vietnamese lyrics has led to deals with Adidas and Budweiser.
Retail & E-commerce Neelofa, 28 MALAYSIA DIRECTOR, NH PRIMA INTERNATIONAL
The actress started wearing a hijab in 2014, then founded a company to make fashionable versions of the head scarves. “I want to inspire women not just to make money but also to have good confidence—and not necessarily rely on men.”
Social Entrepreneurs Daroath Phav, 28 CAMBODIA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WATERSHED
He focuses on improving rural sanitation in Cambodia and has overseen the distribution of more than 150,000 toilets over five years.
Enterprise Technology Josiah Humphrey, Mark Mcdonald; 25, 25 AUSTRALIA COFOUNDERS, APPSTER
They’ve never taken a penny of outside capital while creating apps for clients such as Australia-based Realifechange. That app enables users to log moments of stress, then analyzes the cause and offers advice on how to feel better.
Finance & Venture Capital Zhou Chenyao, 27 CHINA PARTNER, LONGLING CAPITAL
Zhou started at Longling in 2014. Having reached partner three years later, she and her team now oversee more than $140 million in funds, focusing on early-stage tech investments, including an augmented-reality firm, Wonderland, and blockchain startup Bo Chen Technology.
Health Care & Science Yuki Shimahara, 29 JAPAN FOUNDER, LPIXEL
Lpixel allows Shimahara to combine his interest in design and technology with biology: Its software uses artificial intelligence to analyze and catalog X-rays, CT scans and MRIS to help doctors diagnose conditions such as cancer and brain aneurysms.
Industry, Manufacturing & Energy Gibran Huzaifah, 27 INDONESIA FOUNDER, EFISHERY
“Indonesians are still doing agriculture as they did decades ago,” laments Huzaifah, who once ran a fish farm on the island of Java. Now some 20,000 Indonesian fish and shrimp farms use his efishery software, which uses data the farms collect to plan the best ways to grow and maintain their stocks.
Consumer Technology Kavin Bharti Mittal, 29 INDIA FOUNDER, HIKE MESSENGER
Mittal’s 2011 visit to a New Delhi street-food stall sparked an idea. Everyone in the surrounding market was using basic mobile handsets. Soon, he figured, India would catch up to the rest of the world and move on to smartphones. “India has a population of over 1 billion people—how would they come online?” he remembers thinking. “There was an opportunity to build something that would do just that.” Today, his mobile-messaging app, Hike, has more than 100 million users and a $1.4 billion valuation after raising a total of $261 million.
The Arts Liu Wen, 29 CHINA MODEL
Liu’s big break on her way to becoming China’s first supermodel came in 2008 when she landed a spot in Burberry’s runway show during Milan Fashion Week. Today, she appears in campaigns for Estée Lauder and Puma. Last year, she earned an estimated $7 million, making her the world’s eighth-highest-paid model.