Seven Filipinos Make It to the 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia

PHOTO BY Instagram/ @abigailfmarquez

(SPOT.ph) Filipino excellence is celebrated on a global scale yet again as seven of our changemakers land on the coveted Forbes 30 Under 30 List, Asia edition.

Forbes 30 Under 30 is a list composed of young people across various industry categories, chosen by meticulously researching the nominees and evaluating them on scale, social impact, inventiveness, and potential.

From content creation to entrepreneurship, these young Filipinos have impacted their respective industry landscapes. Check them out below.

Also read:Filipino Nominees for the James Beard Awards 2024: Abi Marquez, Abi Balingit, FEATR

The seven Filipinos who made it on Forbes 30 Under 30 - Asia 2024

Abi Marquez

With her entertaining content that champions Filipino food, Abigail "Abi" Marquez has amassed over four million followers on social media. Lovingly called the "Lumpia Queen" by her followers, Abi's skill, passion, and love for Filipino culinary culture shine through in her videos, making it hard for viewers to look away despite getting hungry with every scroll. The 23-year-old content creator is also a James Beard Award nominee and the first Filipino from the Philippines to win a Webby award.

Amanda Cua

Amanda, CEO of media startup BackScoop, took big risks and earned bigger rewards throughout her career. Rather than attending university, she channeled her energy into leveraging media and the burgeoning startup scene to foster connections between people and businesses. She co-founded BackScoop, a free daily newsletter which has become a go-to resource for tens of thousands of subscribers seeking Southeast Asian tech and startup news.

Arshie Larga

If you're active on TikTok, you may have already heard of this pharmacist who informs the public about safe medicine use in a grounded and entertaining way. Ramon Christian Larga, better known as "Arshie," is a licensed pharmacist-slash-content creator based in Marinduque. Arshie not only raises awareness, but also does charity work alongside his followers by giving away free medicine to those in need. Arshie is also TikTok Philippines’ Creator of The Year 2023.

Chia Amisola

Based in San Francisco, Chia Amisola is a Yale University graduate, writer, multimedia artist, designer, founder, and activist. Chia founded Developh, a community that seeks to reclaim technology as a tool for liberation rather than oppression. Developh oversees the Philippine Internet Archive, which aims to preserve digital work, movements, culture, and art, to combat rising revisionism, disinformation, and repression.

Chia's work has been recognized by publications like the New Yorker and Frieze and has been exhibited in Berlin, San Francisco, London, Manila, and Toronto. One of Chia's recent projects is called Ang Bantayog, a platform that commemorates Martial Law victims.

EZ Mil

Filipino-American rapper Ez Mil, or Ezekiel Miller, is a rap talent that went viral with his Cariñosa music-infused track Panalo. He earned a spot in the list due to his talent catching the attention of legendary rappers Dr. Dre and Eminem, whom he now works with. At age 25, he became the first Filipino artist to have a direct joint deal with hip hop labels Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records.

Joshua Serafin

Joshua Serafin is a Bacolod-born multidisciplinary contemporary artist. Joshua's art combines dance, performance, theatre, visual arts, and choreography, which delve into themes like transmigration, queerness, and Otherness, including Filipino culture and history. Joshua was recently invited to perform at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Benniale di Venezia, a prestigious international cultural exhibition that highlights movements in contemporary art.

Mikaela Reyes

Manila native Mikaela Reyes is the CEO and co-founder of Parallax, a payment startup that accelerates global transactions using cryptocurrency and blockchain. She launched Parallax in 2023 at the age of 29, driven by her personal experience as a freelancer struggling to receive payments from other countries. Parallax leverages cryptocurrency and blockchain technology to facilitate faster and more cost-effective cross-border transactions. With customers spanning over 150 countries, the startup raised $4.5 million in seed funding through Dragonfly Capital.

Since 2011, American business magazine Forbes has annually published a list of notable individuals under 30 years old across various industries. Initially, there was a single list of 30, but it later expanded to include 30 honorees in each of the 20 categories. With tens of thousands of nominations, Forbes eventually extended the tradition to create continent-specific lists for Asia, Europe, Africa, and other regions.