Alex Eala leads 12 young Filipinos in Forbes ‘30 Under 30 Asia’ list

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.

- By JAMES LOYOLA

ALEX EALA

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.