As much as some of us, old people, like to complain about the younger generation, we have to admit that there are times that they impress us with their energy, determination and the drive to work for things that they believe in.

Look at those who make it to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list every year, and you'll know what we mean.

Several Malaysians made it to the list under several categories this year as well, making the country proud.

Here's the list of the admirable and inspiring locals on the list.

1) Undi18 cofounders Qyira Yusri and Tharma Pillai

If you've been on social media or reading the news in the past few months, it's likely that you know of Undi18, if not its founders 27-year-old Tharma Pillai and 26-year-old Qyira Yusri.

The duo started Undi18 in 2016 when they were still students to get the government to lower the minimum voting age from 21 to 18. Their efforts and advocacy took two years to bear fruit, but the government eventually passed a constitutional amendment to allow this.

The current government is trying to postpone the implementation of the amendment but Undi18 is not so easily defeated. They are continuing to push their agenda and hopefully will succeed so the younger generation will have more of a voice in the next general elections.

2) Ento founder Kevin Wu

Interestingly, Kevin Wu's name is listed under the Arts category although he is a businessman and lawyer.

He received the honour of being in the list for his unique business idea in Ento, a company that produces food products made of crickets.

Founded in 2018, Ento farms crickets to produced different types of food products including snacks that you can eat like keropok, protein powder, and cookies. We've tried them and we must say they taste pretty OK and are better for the environment too!

Besides Ento, Wu also owns his own law firm Kevin Wu & Associates, as well as a Scandinavian-style furniture startup called Furniture Outlet Centre.

3) Photographer Annice Lyn

We love stories of women empowering each other and Annice Lyn's is doing exactly that.

In 2018, Lyn realised how male-dominated the photography industry is when she was covering the Winter Olympics. Only about 10 per cent of the almost 800 photographers there were women, and Lyn was the only one from Malaysia.

She decided to do something about the gap and cofounded Women Photographers Malaysia, a platform to promote gender equality in the industry and support female photographers through workshops and meet-ups.

The platform now has over 2,000 followers and gaining traction.

4) JomStudy founder Ong Yong Xun

It's amazing what kids these days learn just from the internet. While many of us were trying out latest cooking trends like Dalgona coffee and apam balik, Ong Yong Xun learnt to code on YouTube and built an app.

The 20-year-old built JomStudy app last year, where students can get revision notes from high school students.

In a time where pandemic forced school closure, Ong's app provided solution to those who needed help with their studies. This year, he is looking to expand the aids provided on his platform to include things like videos and end-of-chapter quizzes.

5) Ittify founder Tan Guan Sheng

As much as many like to scoff at influencers, it's not always an easy thing to become. Tan Guan Sheng learnt this the hard way when he started as a content creator on YouTube.

He realised how difficult it was for smaller content creators to get the attention of brands, so he came up with a solution i.e. Ittify.

Ittify is a startup that has a network of over 6,000 content creators connected to brands using a software that also helps them analyse advertising campaign results. The company, which Tan founded in 2015, was bought over by iMedia but he remained in top position with the company.

6) Creative Director Jaz Lee

Jaz Lee may only be 25, but his achievements rivals those with a lot more experience in his field.

He has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world such as Samsung, Guinness, Cadbury, Coca-Cola, Nestle and Petronas, and has won multiple awards for his work.

He started his career as a junior copywriter with Leo Burnett at only 19, and is now a creative director with Oglivy.

Impressive indeed!



It's always inspiring to see fellow Malaysians receiving the recognation they deserve on local and international platforms.

Congratulations!