Four Taiwan influencers from the fields of arts, business and science were named in this year’s 30 under 30 Asia list released March 27 by Forbes magazine.
Social entrepreneur Viola Cheng, venture capitalist Stephanie Tang, biotechnology company director Melissa Yu and artist John Yuyi were chosen from more than 2,000 nominees. The list features 30 honorees in each of 10 categories spanning entertainment, finance, industry and technology.
Cheng was recognized for co-founding New Taipei City-headquartered Good Food Enterprise Co., a restaurant operator established in 2014 to provide quality job opportunities and training to disadvantaged members of society. In 2016, she was the first Taiwan invitee to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in the U.S.
Tang is the managing director of Taipei City-based Rookie Fund, Asia’s first venture capital outfit focused on training students to invest in startups across the continent. A total 22 alumni have become angel investors, established enterprises or been hired by top-tier VC firms since the fund’s launch in 2015.
Yu founded Hong Kong-based biotechnology company Havital HK Holding in 2017. According to Forbes, the firm specializes in developing botanical products with anti-aging and preventative medicine qualities. She has also been involved in the development of two drugs that help combat Alzheimer’s disease and liver cancer, it added.
Named in the arts category, John Yuyi was described as “already making an impact on a global level.” The artist, who has amassed more than 100,000 followers on her Instagram account, is best known for a temporary tattoo series featuring social media symbols. Her distinct creations led to a partnership with global fashion brand Gucci and a first solo exhibition staged earlier this year in New York.
Launched in 2016, the Forbes 30 under 30 Asia list highlighted eight other Taiwan innovators, entrepreneurs and social transformers in its first two editions. The 300 young leaders selected this year have been invited to take part in a summit comprising panels and networking events July 16-18 in Hong Kong, the U.S.-headquartered publication said. (CPY-E)
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