From Olympic gold medalists to serial entrepreneurs and AI pioneers, 32 young Australians have earned a spot on the 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list across all 10 categories.
Tap here to see the full 30 Under 30 Asia list.
ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS
Yerin Ha, 26
Actress
Yerin Ha quickly graduated from indie roles into mainstream success, most recently getting cast as the lead actor’s love interest in the upcoming season 4 of the hot Netflix series ‘Bridgerton.’ Ha’s previous features include the Stephen Spielberg series ‘Halo,’ boarding school drama ‘Bad Behavior’ and TV series spinoff ‘Dune: Prophecy.’ Ha, the granddaughter of Korean actress Son Sook, has a background in dance and theater, having performed in a stage adaptation of “Lord of the Flies” in Sydney in 2021 she was named a rising star by the Casting Guild of Australia.
Mary Fowler, 21
Football player
Mary Fowler became Australia’s footballer-to-watch at a young age and has already played more than 50 international games. Fowler debuted on the national team, the Matildas, in 2016 at age 15. She played for Adelaide United, France’s Montpellier and represented Australia at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, scoring an extra-time goal in the quarter-finals. By 2022, she was awarded PFA’s Young Women’s Footballer of the Year and signed with Manchester City. She represented Australia both in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Tkay Maidza, 29
Rapper
Tkay Maidza, whose real name is Takudzwa Victoria Rose Maidza, is a Zimbabwean-Australian artist making hits with R&B, electronic and hip-hop artists. Maidza pairs her shrewd raps with sultry vocals over electronic beats. Her career took off after she appeared on the Australia Broadcasting Corporation’s music discovery show “Triple J,” and other artists agreed to feature on her tracks, including Killer Mike and Flume. Two of her EPs, “Last Year Was Weird Vol. 3” and “Sweet Justice,” won the ARIA Music Awards’ Best Soul/R&B Release awards in 2021 and 2024.
Kaylee McKeown, 23
Swimmer
Kaylee McKeown is the women’s world record-holder in two swimming events–50m and 200m backstroke–and a five-time Olympic gold medalist. McKeown joined Australia’s national team at 15. She won her first Olympic medals in 2021, taking gold for the 100m and 200m backstroke and for the medley relay team. In 2023 she swept the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke events at the World Aquatic Championships and was named Best Female Swimmer of the Year by World Aquatics Magazine, all before successfully defending her 100m and 200m backstroke titles at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Arisa Trew, 14
Skateboarder
A 14-year-old prodigy, Arisa Trew became Australia’s youngest-ever Olympic champion in 2024 when she took gold in Paris in women’s park skateboarding. Three months earlier, she became the first woman ever to land a 900 aerial spin in a competition, prompting praise from skateboarding legend Tony Hawk. The year before, Trew was the first woman to land a 720 aerial, and won both women’s park and vert events in the X Games two years in a row. As a reward for her gravity-defying feats, Trew’s parents got her a pet duck, which they had promised her if she won an Olympic gold.
CONSUMER & ENTERPRISE TECHNOLOGY
Charlotte Vieira, 28
Cofounder, Humpday
Charlotte Vieira cofounded Humpday, an Australian dating app that only works on Wednesdays. Designed for singles burnt out from endless swiping on apps like Bumble or Tinder, Humpday grants users one new match each day and lets them chat only on Wednesdays. Vieira claims Humpday’s dating conversions are ten times better than on other apps. The company offers a basic free version and charges subscribers to attend in-person singles events in Sydney and Melbourne. Humpday raised A$225,000 in pre-seed funding from Antler in October 2023.
Matthew Blode and Oliver Hoffman
Cofounders, Fingertip
Cofounded by Matthew Blode and Oliver Hoffman, Fingertip is a digital platform that allows proprietors and small businesses to easily create a personalized website with features, such as booking tools and payment systems, without needing any technical skills. Melbourne-based Fingertip’s other cofounders are brothers Gabby and Hezi Leibovich (both over 30), who previously started companies such as Catch, an e-commerce swebsite for families, delivery platform Menulog and travel website Luxury Escapes.
SOCIAL IMPACT
Isabella Choate, 26
CEO, Youth Disability Advocacy Network
Isabella Choate is the interim CEO of the Youth Disability Advocacy Network, helping disabled and LGBTQ+ individuals in Western Australia to stand up for their rights. The group was the lead organizer of the province’s Disability Pride Fest in July 2024. Choate serves on several councils related to health and disability inclusion and in 2023 she won the WA Young Person of the Year award from the Western Australian government.
Holly Fowler, 26
Cofounder, Wable
An estimated 15% to 20% of the global population is neurodivergent, including people with autism, ADHD and dyslexia. To help them connect, Holly Fowler launched the Wable app, a social network in February 2024. Through Wable they can meet potential friends or set up dates; it even has a job board that recommends inclusive workplaces. Fowler came up with the idea in 2020 while watching reality TV show Love on the Spectrum during the Covid19 lockdown. Available in Australia and New Zealand, Wable plans to expand to the U.S., U.K. and Canada.
Katie Quach, 29
Cofounder, Beyond Best Before
Katie Quach wants to raise awareness of food waste in Australia through her grocery store Beyond Best Before. Cofounded in 2023 with siblings Maggie and Michael (both over 30), the Sydney-based outlet sells soon-to-expire pantry items and snacks that would otherwise go to landfills. The bootstrapped company also sells online. Beyond Best Before is partnering with the government of New South Wales in its Love Food Hate Waste program.
Bianca Stern, 28
Cofounder, All Things Equal
Bianca Stern is cofounder and general manager of All Things Equal, a brunch cafe in Melbourne serving toasties, flat whites–and a path to employment in the hospitality sector for people with disabilities. As a student, Stern volunteered at Flying Fox, an NGO pursuing social opportunities for the disabled. In 2021, corporate lawyer Jonathan Wenig (over 30) brought together a group of like-minded people to start All Things Equal, which has trained more than 100 employees.
Ally Zlatar, 27
Founder, The Starving Artist
Canadian Ally Zlatar created The Starving Artist to raise awareness of issues related to mental health, migrant experiences and women’s rights. Her UK-registered organization holds exhibitions worldwide that include her own works such as ‘The Body Remembers’ painting series, which portrays the pain associated with eating disorders. The artist, who holds a doctoral degree in creative arts from the University of Southern Queensland, is currently working on postdoctoral research on the same topic. Accolades have come her way, including the inclusion in the UN Women’s 30 for 2030 initiative last year.
FINANCE & VENTURE CAPITAL
Gaby Rosenberg, 28
Cofounder, Blossom App
Together with her elder sister Ali (who is over 30), Gaby Rosenberg cofounded Sydney-headquartered Blossom App in 2021 to make bonds and other debt instruments more accessible. Its two products, Blossom Save and Blossom Plus–managed by financial services firm Fortlake Asset Management–aim for returns of 5.7% and 6.75% a year, respectively. Rosenberg says the average client invests A$12,000, but anyone can start with as little as A$5 in Blossom Save, which allows investors quick access to their money, while Blossom Plus has a A$5,000 minimum and a three-month lock-up period. At the end of March, Blossom had more than 26,000 users and funds under management of A$112 million ($72 million), generating over A$5 million in revenue since inception, according to Rosenberg.
Abhishek Maran, 27
Senior Associate, Rampersand
Raised in Australia, Abhishek Maran joined VC firm Rampersand–whose portfolio includes SaaS startup Mass Dynamics and data platform PredictHQ–in 2023, after launching ventures in e-commerce and education. Maran runs a Substack newsletter called Superfluid, where he covers topics related to the VC and startup landscape, targeting founders and investors. Superfluid now has over 3,200 subscribers. In April, Maran published a book based on his writings, titled The Fundraising Blueprint.
Adrielle Touma, 28
Investment Manager, Airtree Ventures
Adrielle Touma is an investment manager at Airtree, a Sydney-headquartered VC firm with A$2 billion ($1.2 billion) in funds under management across a portfolio of over 110 companies in Australia and New Zealand, including social media tool Linktree and fintech startup Constantinople. Prior to joining Airtree, Touma worked at MA Growth Ventures, where she was an investment associate, and at the Australian Securities Exchange, where she was a graduate strategy analyst. She graduated from the University of New South Wales in Sydney.
AI
Andrew Pankevicius, Lucas Sargent and Alexander Valent
Cofounders, Redactive
Redactive is a Melbourne-based startup that helps companies manage their datasets securely and develop generative AI-based applications. Founded in 2023 by Andrew Pankevicius, Lucas Sargent and Alexander Valente, its software lets users control and manage in detail what datasets AI can have access to, which reduces the workloads for human engineers. In July 2024, Redactive raised A$11.5 million ($7.5 million) in seed funding from investors including Atlassian Ventures, Blackbird and Felicis.
Jacky Koh, Daniel Palmer and Daniel Vassilev
Cofounders, Relevance AI
Jacky Koh, Daniel Palmer and Daniel Vassilev cofounded Relevance AI to help companies develop their own AI-based agents, tools and automate tasks without coding. Using Relevance AI’s online platform, companies can customize large language models (LLMs) to create email responses and handle data analytics. With offices in Sydney and San Francisco, the startup raised in May $24 million in series B funding from investors led by Bessemer Venture Partners. In late 2023 it raised A$15 million ($9.3 million) in series A funding from investors including King River Capital and Peak XV.
INDUSTRY, MANUFACTURING & ENERGY
Grace Brown, 24
Founder, Andromeda Robotics
In 2022, Grace Brown founded the Melbourne-based Andromeda, which developed a humanoid robot called Abi. With a colorful and whimsical design, the product can be deployed in hospitals and care facilities to provide companionship to patients. In 2023, Andromeda raised A$1 million ($630,000) in pre-seed financing from Galileo Ventures, and last June raised A$3 million in a seed round led by Purpose Ventures.
Connor Balfany, 29
Cofounder, The Leaf Protein Co.
Cofounded by Connor Balfany in 2021, the Leaf Protein Co. has developed technologies to extract protein from leaf tissues in the form of an edible powder, which can be mixed in drinks or used to make diet supplements. Last June, the Melbourne-based company raised A$850,000 ($540,000) in pre-seed funding from investors including LaunchVic and Loyal VC. Balfany holds a Ph.D. in food science from the North Carolina State University.
RETAIL & ECOMMERCE
Alexis Aaron and Jodine Wolman
Cofounders, Sortd
Sydney-based childhood friends Alexis Aaron and Jodine Wolman cofounded Sortd in 2020 to make online shopping more efficient. The shopping assistant app allows users to track items from any online store, compare options, be notified when the items are on sale and see what others are buying . Sortd went through Antler Australia’s accelerator program and raised A$1.26 million ($800,000) in pre-seed funding backed by Antler and private investors including ELMO Software’s former chief commercial officer Darryl Garber.
Annabel Hay, 26
Founder, Clutch Glue
Annabel Hay turned a wardrobe malfunction at a Sydney nightclub in 2016 into a multimillion-dollar business. Launched in 2022, Clutch Glue is a liquid alternative to fashion tape that Hay spent four years developing. The bootstrapped company uses a patented adhesive that is sweat-resistant but water soluble and does not seep into fabrics. In November 2024, the company received A$1.4 million ($900,000) in pre-seed funding led by Blackbird. In December, Hay quit her job at real estate firm JLL to run her company full time.
Johnny Reid, 29
Cofounder, Elliephant
Cofounded by Johnny Reid, Elliephant is an Australia-based platform that provides tailored gifting solutions for companies, claiming a selection of 10,000 gifts. Elliephant also creates automated and personalized gifting campaigns, taking into account the recipient’s preferences and the occasion to ensure the gift doesn’t go to waste. It has raised A$1.6 million ($1 million), including A$560,000 pre-seed funding in November 2023. Elliephant was part of the 2023 Melbourne Accelerator Program at the University of Melbourne. Last year, the company set up an office in Singapore to tap Southeast Asia.
Julian and Nathan Djung
Cofounders, RoomingKos
Julian and Nathan Djung are the founders of RoomingKos, which rents rooms to international students in Melbourne. RoomingKos manages rooms in two buildings in the city, as well as a number of rental houses in the suburbs. The brothers founded the business in 2022, inspired by parents who managed dorms in Indonesia, and they intend to add more properties. In 2024, RoomingKos made the Australian Financial Review’s Fast 100 list of rapid growth companies.
Jake Yap, 28
Cofounder, Lifely
Jake Yap cofounded Lifely–which he calls ‘the Zara of furniture’–with his brother Chris (over 30) in 2017. Formerly called E-Living Furniture, the brothers started selling furniture on an Australian e-commerce platform before setting up their own website and rebranding it as Lifely in 2023. The company targets a younger demographic seeking aesthetically appealing and affordable home decor. Last year, Jake launched his second company, Surya, which is developing a wearable device to track brain activity from the wrist.
THE ARTS (ART & STYLE, FOOD & DRINK)
Kim Russell, 29
Content creator, The Kimbino
Kim Russell, better known to her followers as The Kimbino, is a Perth-based fashion content creator and stylist. Russell’s 180,000 followers on Instagram include American influencers Kim Kardashian, model Paloma Elsesser and stylist Law Roach. She has styled celebrities including Canadian model Sabrina Dhowre Elba, who wore a dress picked by Russell for the Met Gala after-parties in 2023, and Grammy-winning Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems for her first Met Gala that same year. She’s been profiled in several fashion media outlets including Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.
SOCIAL MEDIA, MARKETING & ADVERTISING
Loughlan Dalton de Burgh, 26
Cofounder, Pretty Privilege
Loughlan Dalton de Burgh is cofounder and CEO of Pretty Privilege, a lifestyle club launched in 2023 that offers giveaways such as beauty products and holiday getaways and access to events, parties and other perks. Instead of charging a membership fee, Pretty Privilege earns advertising revenue from brands that showcase their products or services on its platform. They pay lower rates for providing a discount code or giveaways. Dalton de Burgh says the club has over 30,000 active members and more than 100 partner brands. Recently it received undisclosed funding from Kirfield Private Wealth, with support from investors including Ned Coten, former president and chair of Basketball Australia.
Natasha Etschmann, 27
Content Creator, Tash Invests
Natasha Etschmann is a Melbourne-based personal finance content creator known to her followers as Tash Invests. With close to 300,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok, she has been posting investment and financial tips and simplifying financial concepts since 2020. Etschmann co-hosts the Get Rich Slow Club podcast to educate people on personal finance and is the author of a book on the same topic, How to Not Work Forever.
Lexy McDonald, 22
Founder, HerHelp
Lexy McDonald’s teenage struggles with being bullied in school and facing family problems at home inspired her to develop HerHelp, a mental health and wellness community app with over 100,000 downloads. She built the app from scratch in 2019 by learning coding on YouTube at the age of 17, when she was still at school. HerHelp provides support forums where users can share anonymously and read personal growth-related content. McDonald also produces newsletters and podcasts. She is a TEDx speaker and won a Diana Award, named after the late Princess of Wales, in 2023.
Emma Smith, 25
Cofounder, Interview Boss
Emma Smith co-hosts the Interview Boss podcast with her older sister Sarah (over 30). Launched in 2021, the podcast aims to help jobseekers ace their job interviews. It has reached a global audience with over 2 million downloads, and won the Australian Podcast Awards in 2024 in the business category. A seasoned radio journalist, Smith helps distill her sister’s expertise in recruitment for their audience in a matter that is both informative and entertaining. Smith is a two-time finalist for the Australian Commercial Radio Awards.
HEALTHCARE & SCIENCE
Damian Sofrevski, 27
Cofounder, Neurode
Damian Sofrevski is cofounder of Sydney-based Neurode with Nathalie Gouailhardou (over 30), which is developing a headband that can potentially manage attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using what the company says is non-invasive electric signals, the device can stimulate the brain to help with focus, memory and impulse control. Last September, Neurode raised A$5.2 million ($3.5 million) in funding from investors led by Khosla Ventures. The device is currently in clinical trials.
Dylan Coyne, 29
Cofounder, Updoc
Dylan Coyne is cofounder of Sydney-based telehealth startup Updoc. Established in 2021, the company connects users with healthcare professionals in Australia for consultations on issues ranging from mental health to weight loss. They can also prescribe medications online and refer users to specialized healthcare providers. Last May, Updoc raised A$20 million ($13 million) in funding from Bailador Technology Investments.
Sara Webb, 29
Lecturer, Swinburne University of Technology
Sara Webb is a lecturer in astronomy at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. She applies AI to the analysis of telescope data, which has helped predict the movement of space debris. Last year, Webb led an experiment to grow food in space. She and team members sent a rocket payload containing three fungi species to the International Space Station.
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