Latest news with #Forbes30Under30Asia
India Today
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Ananya Panday makes it to Forbes 30 list, rumoured partner Walker Blanco reacts
Actor Ananya Panday has achieved a remarkable milestone by earning a coveted spot on Forbes' 30 Under 30 Asia list for 2025. Joining her on this prestigious list is fellow actor Ishaan Khatter. Celebrating Ananya's success was none other than her rumoured boyfriend, Walker shared Ananya's post about her Forbes recognition on his official Instagram Story, adding a clapping emoji to cheer her on. This is a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by fans. Ananya Panday's rumoured partner Walker Blanco reacts to her Forbes 30 milestone (Photo Credit: Instagram/Walker Blanco) advertisementWhile Ananya and Walker have not confirmed their relationship publicly, Walker's quiet show of support added fuel to the ongoing rumours. The pair was recently spotted on a lunch outing in Mumbai, accompanied by Ananya's close friend and fellow star kid Suhana Khan. The trio made a stylish appearance. Ananya looked elegant in a baby blue top paired with white pants, Suhana twinned in a white crop top and blue shirt, while Walker kept things casual in a white tee and khaki trousers. A few days ago, Forbes released its 10th annual 30 Under 30 Asia list, which features 300 young achievers from across the region. Bollywood stars Ananya Panday and Ishaan Khatter were among those who made it to the prestigious shared the happy news on Instagram, thanking Forbes Asia in her caption. She wrote, "Thank you @forbesasia @forbes for the #Forbes30Under30 Asia (sic)." Her mother, Bhavana Pandey, and close friend Shanaya Kapoor showed their support by dropping red-heart emojis in the comments. advertisement The 26-year-old actor made her Bollywood debut in 2019 with the romantic comedy 'Student of the Year 2'. Since then, she has appeared in 11 films, including 'CTRL', a Hindi thriller currently streaming on Netflix. Forbes cited her rapid rise in the industry, her 26 million Instagram followers, and her expanding influence as a fashion icon, highlighting her recent appointment as Chanel's first Indian brand the work front, Ananya was last seen in the biographical drama 'Kesari Chapter 2', co-starring Akshay Kumar and R Madhavan. She is now set to appear in 'Call Me Bae Season 2' and the upcoming romantic drama 'Chand Mera Dil'.Must Watch
Pink Villa
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Ananya Panday's rumored BF Walker Blanco can't stop beaming with pride at actress' latest feat; find out what it is
Ananya Panday is currently enjoying the best phase of her professional life. After enjoying effusive praises for her performance in Kesari Chapter 2, she has an exciting line-up of projects going ahead. On the other hand, Walker Blanco expressed his utmost pride as the actress added another feather to her hat by making it to the 30 Under 30 Asia list released by Forbes. Just a couple of days back, Forbes released its 10th annual 30 Under 30 Asia list, which acknowledges 300 of the region's most promising entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders under the age of 30. Among others, it is Bollywood actors Ananya Panday and Ishaan Khatter who have made it to the prestigious list. Ananya also shared the update on her Instagram handle and captioned it, "Thank you @forbesasia @forbes for the #Forbes30Under30 Asia." Being a part of her joyous news, Ananya's mother, Bhavana Pandey, and BFF Shanaya Kapoor, among others, dropped red-heart emojis in the comments section. On the other hand, Ananya's rumored boyfriend, Walker Blanco, also shared the official post shared by the actress on his Instagram story. Beaming with pride, he didn't write much, but his "clap" emoji was enough to let his feelings speak volumes. In addition, several fans reacted to the post, with one user hyping up the actress. One user wrote, "Our star girl rooting for you always, this is just the beginning!" Another user commented, "Ananyas hardwork and talent is finally paying off." Ananya made her debut in 2019 with Student of the Year 2. This was followed by her appearance in several successful ventures, including Pati Patni Aur Woh, Gehraiyaan, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, among others. Her performance in her last released film, Kesari Chapter 2, was highly appreciated. Going further, she has an exciting line-up of projects, including Call Me Bae 2 and Chand Mera Dil alongside Lakshay. Ishaan Khatter, on the other hand, made his debut with romantic tragedy, Dhadak, alongside Janhvi Kapoor in 2018. Quite selective with his choices, he has carved a niche for himself with acclaimed performances to his name in projects like A Suitable Boy, Pippa, The Perfect Couple, and The Royals, being the latest one. His film Homebound has also been recently screened at the Cannes 2025.
Forbes
15-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Forbes Releases 10th Edition Of 30 Under 30 Asia List
2025 List Highlights 300 Outstanding Young Entrepreneurs and Innovators from across the Asia-Pacific Region #ForbesU30Asia #ForbesUnder30 SINGAPORE (May 15, 2025) – Forbes released today the 10th 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, with a bold vision for the future, that is largely powered by artificial intelligence. The Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Class of 2025 features 300 notable listees selected across 10 categories, including AI; Consumer & Enterprise Technology; Entertainment & Sports; Finance & Venture Capital; Healthcare & Science; Industry, Manufacturing & Energy; Retail & Ecommerce; Social Impact; Social Media, Marketing & Advertising and The Arts (Art & Style, Food & Drink). Among those featured on this year's list are Korean singer, actor and model Cha Eun-woo; K-pop band Stray Kids; up-and-coming Singaporean singer-songwriter Shazza; Korean Chef and winner of Netflix's Culinary Class Wars Sungjun Kwon; Bollywood actress and Chanel's first Indian brand ambassador Ananya Panday; Charlotte Vieira, Cofounder of Antler-backed Australian dating app Humpday; Olympic medalist and gymnast Shinnosuke Oka from Japan; Manu Nair and Prashant Sharma, cofounders of India's spacetech startup Ethereal Exploration Guild; Xi Yue, Cofounder of Beijing-based humanoid robot maker Robotera; Australia's Andrew Pankevicius, Lucas Sargent and Alexander Valente, Cofounders of Redactive which helps companies develop generative AI-based applications; Turzo Bose and Lamia Sreya Rahman, Cofounders of Hong Kong's Vidi Labs which develops wearable cameras and "seeing" AI for the visually impaired; Singapore's Lee Ray Sheng and Ye Anran, Cofounders of A Hot Hideout, a spicy noodles and hotpot restaurant chain; South Korea's Byeoli Choi, Cofounder and CEO of Movin, a developer of AI-based real-time motion capture devices; Thailand's Kantinan Tunveenukoon, cofounder of battery-powered motorcycles Sleek EV; India's Jinali Mody who founded Banofi Leather, an alternative to traditional leather products using fiber from banana crop waste; Kazuma Kishida, who cofounded Japan's Dioseve, which develops technologies to aid infertility treatment for women and Indonesian environmental activist and social media influencer Andrew Brule. Rana Wehbe Watson, Editorial Director, Forbes Asia and Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Editor, said: 'In this landmark 10th edition of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list, we celebrate a decade of exceptional talent and innovation by highlighting a new generation of entrepreneurs and young leaders who exemplify resilience and creativity as they battle tougher business conditions.' 'Many are using AI to refine their value propositions and attract investors in fields including healthcare and finance. Others are building niche businesses aimed at a local customer base as uncertainty looms over global trade.' Featured highlights on the '30 Under 30 Asia' list include: The 2025 list features a diverse set of 30 Under 30 Asia listees, with 20 countries and territories represented across the Asia-Pacific region. India had the most with 94 entries, followed by Australia (32), China (30), Japan (25), and South Korea (23). Singapore and Indonesia each had 19 entries. To source candidates for the list, Forbes reporters and editors combed through thousands of online submissions, as well as tapped industry sources and list alumni for recommendations. More than 4,500 candidates were evaluated by the Forbes Asia team and a panel of independent, expert judges on a variety of factors, including (but not limited to) funding and/or revenue, social and industry impact, product-market fit, inventiveness and potential. All final listers must be 29 or younger as of December 31, 2024. Listees were vetted and selected by a panel of accomplished and acclaimed judges in each category. The judges are Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of HCLTech and Trustee of Shiv Nadar Foundation; Kai-Fu Lee, Chairman and CEO of Sinovation Ventures; Solina Chau,Director at Li Ka Shing Foundation and Cofounder of Horizons Ventures; S.D. Shibulal, Cofounder of Infosys and Axilor Ventures; Kishin RK, Founder and CEO of RB Capital; Allan Zeman, Founder and Chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Group; Kuok Meng Ru, Founder and Group CEO of Caldecott Music Group; Nisa Leung,Healthcare investor; Arif Rachmat, Cofounder and Executive Chairman of TAP Group; Patrick Grove, Cofounder and Group CEO of Catcha Group; InKyung Lee, Partner at MBK Partners; Fang Hongbo, Chairman and CEO of Midea Group; David Gowdey, Managing Partner at Jungle Ventures; Brian Gu, Vice Chairman and President of Xpeng; Paul Ronalds, Founder and CEO of Save the Children Global Ventures; Janice Lee,CEO of Viu; Tan Yinglan, Founding Managing Partner at Insignia Ventures Partners; Annabelle Yu Long, Founding and Managing Partner at Bertelsmann Asia Investments; Magnus Grimeland, Founder and CEO of Antler; Akiko Naka, Founder and CEO of Wantedly; Helen Wong, Managing Partner at AC Ventures; Hian Goh, Founding Partner at OpenSpace Ventures; Ronald Akili, CEO of PTT Family; Vinnie Lauria, Founding Partner at Golden Gate Ventures; Rachel Lim, Cofounder of Love, Bonito (Class of 2016); Eric Gnock Fah, Cofounder and COO of Klook (Class of 2017); Alice Chang, Founder and CEO of Perfect Corp; Meena Ganesh,Cofounder and Chairperson of Portea Medical; Snehal Patel, Managing Director at Saena Partners; Hua Fung Teh, Cofounder and Group President of ONE and Nicole Warne, Founder of Gary Pepper Girl (Class of 2016). For the complete Forbes 2025 30 Under 30 Asia package, visit here. On social media, please follow @ForbesAsia on Facebook | X | Instagram About Forbes: Forbes champions success by celebrating those who have made it, and those who aspire to make it. Forbes convenes and curates the most influential leaders and entrepreneurs who are driving change, transforming business and making a significant impact on the world. The Forbes brand today reaches more than 140 million people worldwide through its trusted journalism, signature LIVE and Forbes Virtual events, custom marketing programs and 42 licensed local editions in 68 countries. Forbes Media's brand extensions include real estate, education and financial services license agreements. Forbes Asia Media Contact: Catherine Ong, cath@ or +65 9697 0007 Forbes Asia Media Contact: Chenxi Wang, chenxi@ or cell: +65 8187 3215
Forbes
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
From BINI To Sheetal Devi: Meet The Breakthrough Stars And Athletes On The 2025 30 Under 30 Asia Entertainment & Sports List
Forbes Asia Back in February, BINI, the eight-girl pop sensation from the Philippines, kicked off its 15-city world tour with a sold-out concert at home, packing excited fans into the 50,000-seat Philippine Arena north of Manila. Short for 'binibini'—or young woman in Tagalog—BINI is the brainchild of Philippine media company ABS-CBN, which, inspired by the global popularity of South Korean girl groups, selected members Gweneth Apuli (Gwen), 21; Maraiah Queen Arceta (Aiah), 23; Sheena Mae Catacutan, 20; Mikhaela Janna Lim (Mikha), 21; Mary Loi Yues Ricalde (Maloi), 22; Jhoanna Chritine Robles, 20; Stacey Aubrey Sevilleja, 21; and Nicolette Vergara (Colet), 23; in 2019 from 250 aspirants following a nationwide talent search. The octet form one of the entries on this year's star-studded Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia: Entertainment & Sports list, who are making waves in the music and entertainment industry. "Our posts show who we really are... and that's one reason our fans like us." In K-pop style, the young trainees, under the management of ABS-CBN, spent the next three years living together and training every day. 'It's mentally, emotionally, and physically draining,' says Sheena, the main dancer. The pandemic also took its toll, according to main vocalist Maloi, preventing them from visiting their families. When AaBS-CBN lost its broadcast license in 2020 in a political spat, the group was spared the chopping block amid company layoffs. Forbes Asia In 2021, BINI released its title track 'Born to Win,' an anthem about empowerment, from its debut album, which has since racked up over 100 million streams on Spotify. The group's first solo concert in Cubao, one of Metro Manila's oldest commercial hubs, sold out in under two hours in 2024, prompting the addition of two more shows. From then on, BINI raced to the top. Last year, it won Best Asia Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards and Billboard K Power 100's Voices of Asia award at its Seoul event. In March, Billboard Philippines named the eight members its Women of the Year as their top songs surpassed a billion streams on Spotify. BINI's most-viewed video on YouTube, 'Pantropiko,' which loosely translates to 'Tropical,' had amassed 105 million views at the end of April. 'Salamin, Salamin,' or 'Mirror, Mirror,' has attracted over 84 million views since its release last year. Building an online presence also played a major role in their rise. 'At first, we were ignored, but then we noticed more public interest when we posted on social media' following the first album, says Mikha. The members shared their daily activities and thoughts, their favorite foods (pepperoni pizza, green mango with spicy shrimp sauce and stir-fried noodles, to name a few) and practical jokes (a video of Sheena making prank calls to Jhoanna and Aiah has over 2.4 million YouTube views). BINI In particular, they weren't afraid to describe their humble backgrounds and families' struggles. All eight members come from low to middle-income families in the provinces. Two grew up without fathers; another two had fathers working overseas. Gwen briefly quit due to the rigorous routine, while Sheena lost her mother during training and Jhoanna's grandfather died. 'Our posts show who we really are,' says Aiah, 'and that's one reason our fans like us.' Since its first album four years ago, BINI went on to release three more on pop themes like crushes, love and friendship. The group has also recorded some mature numbers, such as 'Karera,' with its message of resilience—and promises more. 'Our songs will evolve with our fans,' says Colet. BINI is the only girl group to make this year's Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list, while K-pop was represented by two boy bands. South Korea's Stray Kids found global popularity by following their instincts, producing rock hits with a noisier, more industrial sound than the usual K-pop group. The 8-member group, formed in a reality TV show in 2017, debuted with their EP "I Am Not" in 2018, which quickly went platinum. Four years later, its EP "Oddinary" topped the Billboard 200, making Stray Kids the third only K-pop group to achieve that position, following boy bands BTS and SuperM. The group, included in 2023 on Time magazine's Next Generation Leaders list, performed in 2024 at the American Music Awards. K-pop band Stray Kids at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards. Also making waves is K-pop group Big Ocean, the first to be composed of members with hearing impairments: Kim Ji-seok, Lee Chan-yeon and Park Hyun-jin. Its agency, Parastar Entertainment, focuses on representing artists with disabilities. The group's vocals are recorded with the use of AI, and while performing on stage they wear special vibrating devices to help synchronize dance movements. The trio released the group's first mini album in November 2024 and have over one million Instagram followers. Proving that physical disability is no barrier to excellence, paralympians from across the region demonstrated incredible athletic abilities and emerged victorious at recent global events. Sheetal Devi became India's youngest Paralympic medalist after winning bronze in an archery team event at the Paralympics in Paris. Born without arms, Devi sits to hold the bow with her right foot, pulls the string taut with her right shoulder and then releases the string by unclenching her contracted jaw and shoulder. One of her coaches—inspired by another armless archer, Matthew Stutzman—helped create a special bow for her. Devi received the Arjuna Award, India's national sports prize, in 2023. Sheetal Devi of India competing at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. From Afghanistan, Zakia Khudadadi made history last year as the first athlete on the Refugee Paralympic Team to win a medal. Khudadadi's rise started in 2016 when she won the African International Parataekwondo Championship representing Afghanistan and then qualified for the 2020 Paralympics. In 2020 she became the second woman from Afghanistan to compete in the Paralympic Games since the event started in 1960, although she had to flee Taliban-controlled Kabul to compete. Now on the Refugee Paralympic Team, Khudadadi took bronze in the women's 47kg category in Paris 2024. Read our complete Entertainment & Sports list here – and be sure to check out our full Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 coverage here.
Forbes
14-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Changemakers And Activists On 30 Under 30 Asia Social Impact 2025 List
Forbes Asia With the global AI training dataset market poised for exponential growth over the next decade, social entrepreneur Manu Chopra saw an opportunity to channel some of that wealth to the rural poor. His nonprofit Karya pays villagers, many of them women, $5 an hour or more—roughly 20 times minimum wage—to be recorded speaking in their own language, which can be used by AI apps to understand and generate speech. About 70% of fees paid by its clients, which include the Indian government, U.S. tech giant Google and Indian ride-sharing company Ola, goes to the workers while Karya retains the rest to cover operating costs. Roughly 120 Indian dialects have been recorded so far and Karya says it has expanded into Kenya and Ethiopia. Chopra, CEO, cofounded Karya in 2021 with Vivek Seshadri, chief technology officer, and Safiya Husain, chief impact officer. Chopra's Karya is one example of how AI is being used by this year's Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia: Social Impact listees to create a positive change in their communities. 'To build a future of AI that is diverse and inclusive, we need to employ diverse and underrepresented populations.' The nonprofit has also received grants for research, including $2 million from the Gates Foundation to collect recorded speech from 30,000 rural women to capture their language, syntax and patterns of speech with the aim of combating gender bias in AI. Karya, which in Sanskrit means work that gives one dignity, says its goal is to provide support to half a million disadvantaged people over the next five years. Chopra, who has a bachelor's degree in computer science from Stanford University, notes: 'To build a future of AI that is diverse and inclusive, we need to employ diverse and underrepresented populations.' Forbes Asia Also in India, 26-year-old Arghya Bhattacharya has an ambitious mission: he wants to reduce the case backlogs in the country's clogged courts using AI. Together with Utkarsh Saxena (over 30), they cofounded Adalat AI, which is developing software that can transcribe depositions and take dictation in court. The non-profit says its product has been trained to understand legal jargon and local Indian languages, which helps ensure accuracy. Adalat AI says the software is being used in 3,000 courts across eight Indian states. In addition to AI, social entrepreneurs on this year's list are innovating using various other technologies to create apps and devices to help those with physical and developmental disabilities access therapy and improve their quality of life. Pravin Kumar, 26, founded in 2020 Dextroware Devices, a startup that developed Mouseware, a device worn on the head to control computers and smartphones, for use by people with upper limb disabilities. The startup completed the incubator program at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and in 2023 Mouseware was India's winning entry for the James Dyson design awards. Turzo Bose and Lamia Sreya Rahman, cofounders of Vidi Labs In Hong Kong, Turzo Bose and Lamia Sreya Rahman cofounded Vidi Labs to help the visually impaired move independently using wearable cameras and "seeing" AI. Their company has developed Seekr, a device packed with depth sensors and scene and text recognition technologies to describe surroundings to the wearer. In 2025, Seekr won a CES Innovation Award in the Accessibility & AgeTech category. Also addressing challenges faced by the visually-impaired, Hunny Bhagchandani founded Ahmedabad-based Torchit, a company producing accessibility products. Torchit's flagship product is Saarthi, a cane that "reads" the environment and sends vibrations to warn of potential obstacles. The company's Jyoti AI, smart spectacles interpret text in multiple languages. For neurodivergent people including those with autism, ADHD and dyslexia–who make up an estimated 15% to 20% of the global population–Holly Fowler launched the Wable app, a social network to help them connect. Through Wable they can hook up with potential friends or set up dates; it even has a job board that recommends inclusive workplaces. Available in Australia and New Zealand, Wable plans to expand to the U.S., U.K. and Canada. Prathyusha Potharaju, cofounder of Grailmaker Innovations. Growing up with dyslexia herself, another listee, Prathyusha Potharaju cofounded Grailmaker Innovations to help kids with developmental disabilities access therapy in a more affordable and convenient way. The four-year-old company created Vision Nanny, a low-cost, interactive AI-powered learning software as an at-home therapy tool for children with Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI). Recently, Potharaju and her team developed Spacefelt, an app that was developed with support from Hyderabad's LV Prasad Eye Institute, to allows the visually impaired navigate their surroundings. The list this year also highlights activists who are championing various social causes including women's rights, education and gender equality. An Afghan refugee in Pakistan, Helai Masudi is cofounder of Speak For Change, a volunteer-led platform which offers educational resources such as entrepreneurship webinars and writing workshops to young women in Afghanistan being denied access to schools by the Taliban. Masudi originally used Telegram groups to offer free online courses, which were expanded into a series profiling inspiring Afghan refugees, who have successful careers. Masudi,also helped coordinate disaster aid after the 2023 earthquake in the Herat Province, was one of the recipients of the Diana Award in 2024. In Nepal, transgender woman Rukshana Kapali is a champion of gender equality, having filed over 50 lawsuits against the government for greater legal recognition of transgender identity. The activist won one case last year, when the Supreme Court ruled that she can be identified legally as a woman, not as a third gender, without having to submit medical verification. Through her nonprofit Queer Youth Group, Kapali provides legal assistance to people fighting for their gender rights. —Additional Reporting by Anuradha Raghunathan Read our complete Social Impact list here – and be sure to check out our full Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 coverage here.
