Pakistanis who made it to Forbes '30 Under 30' Asia list
This yearโs Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list recognises seven Pakistanis for their contributions in various fields, ranging from technology to media. Forbes describes them as โchangemakers in 10 categories who are transforming their industriesโ. Syed Ismail Syed Ismail, cofounder of Karachi-based Saraaf. โ photo courtesy Forbes Listed in the โconsumer and enterprise technologyโ category, Syed Ismail cofounded Karachi-based Saraaf in 2021 to โdigitise commodity sourcing and bring more transparency to itโ. The company is set to launch a mobile app for โbusinesses sourcing materials such as onyx and cotton from Central and South Asia, with real-time pricing, shipment tracking, digitised contracts and live chatsโ, Forbes notes. In 2024, Saraaf also secured a $5.3 million investment commitment from Shark Tank Pakistan. Founders of Plouton AI Sarfraz Shahid Hussain (L) and Muhammad Furqan Karim Kidwai (R). โ photo courtesy Forbes Muhammad Furqan Karim Kidwai and Sarfraz Shahid Hussain secured a spot in the โfinance and venture capitalโ category for having co-founded Singapore-based Plouton AI. The venture was described as an โagentic automation platform that helps midmarket companies automate finance workflowsโ. It โuses auditable browser-based agents to run finance workflows, such as invoicing, payroll processing and month-end reconciliation, within existing tools like Xero, QuickBooks and Excelโ, saving companies from buying costly software. According to Forbes, Kidwai โsaw how finance teams in many emerging markets still rely on spreadsheets and emailsโ, prompting him to launch a fintech company. The two Habib University graduates had previously also co-founded fintech startup YPay Financial Services, which offered an app for people to invest digitally in mutual funds. Maheera Ghani Maheera Ghani, a PhD graduate from Cambridge University. โ photo courtesy Forbes Maheera Ghani graduated from Cambridge University in 2025 with a PhD in materials science and is currently doing postdoctoral research at Cambridge on ultra-thin semiconductors. Forbes highlighted that the WinSci Pakistan education project, led by Ghani, won the Nature Inspiring Women in Science award from the Estรฉe Lauder Companies and Springer Nature for โher efforts to encourage women to pursue careers in scienceโ. Commenting on her featuring on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list, Ghani said: โResearching next-generation semiconductors at Cambridge University, innovating deep-tech technologies and working at the intersection of science, innovation, and leading impact has been an amazing journey filled with immense joy. โI am overwhelmed with gratitude and pride to represent my country on such a prestigious platform and this recognition means so much to me personally,โ the scientist added. Fahad Shahbaz Fahad Shahbaz, who founded the Youth General Assembly in 2015. โ photo courtesy Forbes Fahad Shahbaz founded the Youth General Assembly in 2015, when just 18 years old, to โcreate a pathway for young Pakistanis into leadership and policymakingโ, Forbes wrote. The Youth General Assembly runs an annual 96-member assembly based on the UK parliament and mirroring the National Assembly, providing a platform for young participants to โdebate public policy and produce recommendationsโ. Forbes mentioned Shahbaz was a 2023 recipient of the Diana Award and a member of the Pakistan Chapter of the World Economic Forumโs Global Shapers Community. He graduated with a Master of Laws degree from the University of Law in London. Reacting to his inclusion, Shahbaz wrote on X, โThis recognition is not mine alone. It belongs to the people who believed in me, supported me and stood beside me throughout this journey.โ He added that the โsocial impact category is built on service, responsibility and the belief that meaningful change begins with peopleโ. โPakistanโs greatest chapter is still being written and it is being written by its youth,โ Shahbaz remarked. It should be mentioned that actress Hania Aamir and filmmaker Saman Kamraan landed spots on the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list in the entertainment category. Read about their accomplishments here.