8 Filipinos included in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia

MANILA, Philippines — Eight Filipinos were included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list this year. 

According to Forbes editor Rana Wehbe Watson, the individulas on this year’s list “have managed to survive, succeed and inspire others in the midst of business, social and personal challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic — a testament to their determination, fearlessness and hard work.”

“From a Filipino entrepreneur re-imagining social media platforms to a fintech unicorn founder and a group of Afghan teenage girls developing a low-cost ventilator to help fight the virus, these trailblazers are truly unstoppable,” Watson added. 

Selected from over 2,500 nominations, researched by Forbes journalists from across the region and vetted by industry veterans, the group of relentless individuals are disrupting industries and tackling major global issues. 

Below are the eight Filipinos who made it to the list: 

Gab Mejia, Youth Engaged in Wetlands cofounder

Gab is a conservation photographer and environmental storyteller. He is a National Geographic Explorer covering stories on nature, wildlife, the climate crisis and indigenous people. He is a contributor to National Geographic Your Shot and has published stories in National Geographic, CNN, Nikon, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Carmina Bayombong, InvestED cofounder 

She’s the CEO of InvestEd.ph that provides disadvantaged high potential dreamers education loans to maximize their potential in a data-driven and post-pandemic world. 

Ryan Gerseva, Virtualahan founder

Virtualahan is a social enterprise that is breaking down employment barriers for persons with disabilities, former drug addicts, and other groups who experience workplace exclusion using the equalizing power of technology.

Angela Chen and Aurelien Chu, Eskwelabs cofounder 

Eskwelabs is reimagining the vocational school. Its mission is to democratize access to the future of work for those from diverse backgrounds through data skills.

Guendoline Rome Viray Gomez, musician

Popularly known as No Rome, Gomez was the first Filipino musician to perform in Coachella stage in 2019.

Rexy Josh Dorado, Kumu cofounder 

Kumu is a livestream community app for Filipinos. It is the highest grossing social app in the Philippines with over 6 million registered users around the world.

Edward Christopher Dee, COVID-19 taskforce member

Dee is set to graduate in Harvard Medical School this year.