With every year comes the rise of fresh talent and ambition.
Although the global COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted lives with the many challenges now present in our new norms, several individuals have still managed to inspire change and create impact in their chosen fields. Among these names, of course, are Chinese Filipino trailblazers who have been selected by the globally renowned Forbes “30 Under 30 Asia” list.
Without further ado, here are our amazing Chinoy honorees!
Ariane Lim (AcadArena)
Category: Consumer Technology
Alongside her co-founders Justin Banusing and Kevin Hoang, co-CEO Ariane Lim established AcadArena, an esports start-up that aims to help student gamers in Southeast Asia compete in international tournaments. The organization has become a leading authority for campus gaming and esports education since its inception in 2019, having partnered with more than 600 schools to support collegiate communities in becoming more competitive in games such as Valorant, League of Legends, PUBG: Mobile, and more. As of December last year, AcadArena has raised a total of $3.5 million in seed funding, with support from backers including Iterative Capital; Infinity Ventures Cryptol; and Kevin Lin, a co-founder of the popular streaming platform Twitch.
Before starting AcadArena, Lim was the former head of collegiate at video game operator Garena Philippines. In light of her achievements since then, she was nominated as the “Esports Collegiate Ambassador of the Year” in the 2021 Esports Awards, one of the largest international award-giving bodies in the esports and gaming industry.
Jeth Ang & Renz Chong (BreederDAO)
Category: Consumer Technology
Together with Nico Odulio, Chinoy co-founders Renz Chong and Jeth Ang established BreederDAO, a start-up that specializes in the manufacturing of NFT characters and game items found in play-to-earn games such as Cipher, Cyball, Crabada, and Wonder Hero. Having been dubbed as the “Factory of the Metaverse” after its launch in 2021, the company quickly raised $10 million in series A funding in just two months, through a token sale co-led by Andreessen Horowitz’s a16z and Delphi Digital.
Individually, CEO Renz Chong and COO Jeth Ang have each accumulated a portfolio of experiences across the business, blockchain, crypto, and gaming industries prior to their work in BreederDAO. Chong, for instance, was a former executive of the delivery service Angkas, as well as a veteran management consultant. Searching for investment profits, he then found his way into the crypto space in 2017 before starting BreederDAO.
Ang, meanwhile, served as a business development officer at the investment management firm Udenna Corporation. He was also the managing director for Verdano Land Inc. and later became the co-founder of Bright Marketing and Innovations Corporation. Ang’s entry into the world of cryptocurrency came in as early as 2013. This, alongside his experience of founding a player guild of 500 scholars active in NFT games, drove him to enter BreederDAO and work on the lacking supply of assets in the metaverse.
Earvin Ang (Aqwire)
Category: Finance and Venture Capital
Chief finance officer Earvin Ang co-founded Aqwire together with Jesse Manalansan. The company aims to provide real-estate developers in the Philippines with access to foreign investors, as well as the millions of Filipinos working overseas. As an online service and payments platform, Aqwire presents an easy option to accomplish property-related payments with major debit and credit cards, attracting high-profile clients such as Ayala Land, Megaworld, and Vista Land.
Aside from his work in real estate solutions, Ang is also the president of Qwikwire, an online payment processing platform which similarly supplies medium and large businesses with customized invoicing systems, supporting property management, banks, BPOs, and medical billers across the country.
