24 in Singapore make Forbes' 30 Under 30 Asia list in 2018

TWENTY-FOUR individuals in Singapore have made it to Forbes' 30 Under 30 Asia, a list which features 300 young disruptors, innovators and entrepreneurs across Asia who are under the age of 30. (see amendment note)

The 2018 edition of the list, themed "Disruption and Innovation", includes 30 honorees in 10 categories, who are vetted and selected by a panel of accomplished and acclaimed judges in each category, Forbes said.

Forbes said Singapore tied with Japan for the fifth highest number of honorees this year.

The 24 individuals (see amendment note) were selected across nine categories. The honorees include Chope's chief operating officer Dinesh Balasingam, who was selected under the consumer technology category.

In the healthcare and science category, Esther Wang, founder of healthcare education startup, Joytingle, made the list. The company specialises in child life programmes, patient engagement, paediatric education and hospital play speciality.

In the retail and commerce category, Tushar Khandelwal, chief operating officer and co-founder of online travel and activity platform Voyagin was selected.

Voyagin, which was acquired by Rakuten in 2015, operates as a tool to help digital-savvy travellers have a better holiday experience by making activity suggestions, providing guest reviews and helping with bookings.

Others selected in this category include Ian Ang and Alaric Choo, of SecretLab, and Shanru Lai and Josephine Chow of Shopback.

Julius Tan, founder of energy retail marketplace, Electrify, made it into the list under the industry, manufacturing and energy category. It has facilitated US$3.8 million worth of transactions since March 2017.

Electrify's next move is a new energy marketplace based on blockchain technology, which enables peer-to-peer trading from small-scale producers such as residential rooftop solar and wind turbines, Forbes said.

In the arts category, Jackson Aw of design studio Mighty Jaxx was chosen. He started the studio in 2012 with a S$20,000 loan. The studio has since worked with artists as well as international brands such as DC Comics and New Balance to create collectible sculptures.

Among social entrepreneurs, Kapap Academy's Qin Yunquan was included in the list for her efforts to empower ordinary people with realistic self-defence training.

Local paralympic swimmer, Yip Pin Xiu, also made the list. Ms Yip, who competes in the backstroke, is a three-time Paralympic gold medallist and a one-time International Paralympic Committee gold medallist, with two world records to her name.

Amendment note: An earlier version of the article incorrectly stated that 21 individuals from Singapore made it to the Forbes' 30 under 30 Asia. It is in fact 24 individuals. The total number of honourees from Singapore stands at 21 as some were joint honours and shared by two individuals from the same company.