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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider Alex Eala leads 12 young Filipinos in Forbes' "30 Under 30 Asia" list

Alex Eala leads 12 young Filipinos in Forbes' "30 Under 30 Asia" list

Published May 28, 2026 01:03 pm

Tennis sensation Alex Eala leads a total of 12 Filipinos under nine listings included in Forbes Magazine’s 11th annual edition of its “30 Under 30 Asia” list, featuring 300 young entrepreneurs, leaders, and innovators across the Asia-Pacific region, all under the age of 30.

Those who made it to the list are young people pushing the boundaries in their respective fields at a time when artificial intelligence (AI) is fast becoming ingrained in work and play.

Aside from Eala, Filipinos on the list are pop star Zack Tabudlo; Pauline Dizon and Adrian Jumangit, who founded Fan Connection SEA (FanConSEA); GoRocky founders Kiyanusch Braun and Martin Joaquin Palaña; pet food company Amico founder Kharl Christian Yeung; BayaniChain Tech founders Brandon Angelo Wong and Raphael Sevilla, alongside Paul Soliman, who is over 30; Empath founder Steph Naval; Saje Miguel Molato, who founded Siklab; and Emmanuel Mirus Ponon, founder of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Youth Advocates Network (AYAN).

Eala got Filipinos fired up about tennis after she broke into the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) Top 50 last year. She climbed as high as No. 29 in March 2026 to become the nation’s highest-ranking player in modern history.

Tabudlo’s songs “Pano” and “Give Me Your Forever” went viral shortly after their release in 2021, making him the most-streamed Philippine artist of 2022, according to Spotify figures.

Dizon and Jumangit’s FanConSEA is a fandom-based business that deals with merchandise licensing, bookings, and live events. It started during the pandemic in 2020, when the two bet their savings on Southeast Asia as a key entertainment market.

Braun and Palaña founded GoRocky to destigmatize men’s health issues such as erectile dysfunction and hair loss. Promising confidentiality and convenience, the digital platform claims to have connected more than 30,000 customers to licensed doctors and pharmacies.

Yeung’s Amico Innovations sold a majority stake to Monde Nissin Corp. in 2024. He has experience in startups and commercial strategy, including with blockchain-based gaming company Sovrun and 917Ventures, the startup arm of Globe Telecom Inc..

Wong and Sevilla, together with Soliman, cofounded BayaniChain Tech, a company that builds blockchain systems for governments and companies to improve transparency, secure data, and reduce corruption. It worked with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the first government agency in the country to use blockchain to upload and verify key budget documents.

Naval, a software engineer and psychologist-in-training, founded Empath, a social enterprise that provides online counseling, psychotherapy, and psychiatric consultations to schools, workplaces, and nonprofit organizations after struggling with her mental health as a teen.

Inspired by the launch of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Molato founded Siklab in 2016 to help young people become more globally competitive. The consulting firm works with government, nonprofit, and private sector partners on education, skills development, and climate programs.

Ponon’s AYAN is an organization that encourages young people across 10 Southeast Asian countries to participate in policymaking, peacebuilding, and sustainable development. It has reached over 350,000 young people, elevating youth voices in forums such as ASEAN, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), TEDx, and the UN.

Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Class of 2026 features notable listees selected across 10 categories, including AI; consumer and enterprise technology; entertainment and sports; finance and venture capital; healthcare and science; industry, manufacturing, and energy; retail and ecommerce; social impact; social media, marketing, and advertising; and the arts (art and style as well as food and drink).

“The 11th edition of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list spotlights a fresh wave of young minds from across Asia-Pacific, who continue to innovate and disrupt their industries at a time when artificial intelligence is reshaping our daily lives,” said Rana Wehbe Watson, Forbes Asia editorial director and Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia editor.

“From entrepreneurs building companion robots and AI tools to up-and-coming stars stepping into the global spotlight, this year’s listees illustrate Gen-Z’s influence across business and culture in the region.”

The 2026 list features a diverse set of 30 Under 30 Asia listees, with 18 countries and territories represented across the Asia-Pacific region.

India has the most entries with 78, followed by China with 46, Australia with 38, and Japan with 32. Indonesia, Singapore, and South Korea each have 18. Roughly a quarter of the listees are women, while the average age is 26.

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