The Philippines’ Rising Tech Stars

The international tech scene is no longer a private playground for Silicon Valley companies, with Asian players making waves on this side of the globe and beyond. To celebrate the talented individuals who are changing the face of the industry, the Asia Tatler editors and a panel of experts compiled a list of the top 50 rising tech stars in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia. Here are six of the Philippines’ technological elite on the list.

1. Farouk Meralli

Why him? The 31-year-old Harvard graduate is revolutionising global health with his digital start-up, mClinica. By giving governments, academics and pharmaceutical companies access to health data, Meralli’s platform is advancing patient care and services, as well as medical research. It already connects thousands of pharmacies across Asia and is currently expanding globally.

2. Nix Nolledo

The biz The online platform Gen.T lister Nolledo co-founded in 1999, Pinoy Exchange, is one of the largest online peer-to-peer information sharing sites in the Philippines. Plus Xurpas, the mobile content company the 2016 lister founded in 2001, was publicly listed in 2014 with a value of 1.36 billion pesos (US$69.8 million)—not bad for a company that started with capital of 62,500 pesos.

Back story The 40-year-old’s first job out of university was at KFC, as an assistant branch manager.

3. Paolo Azzola

Why him? PayMaya, the secure online payment system this 31-year-old ex-JP Morgan employee founded in 2015, allows individuals, businesses and institutions to make online payments without the need for a credit card. Users register with a mobile number and receive a virtual debit card that can be used for purchases in numerous stores.

4. Paul Rivera

Why him? The 34-year-old simplified the job market for Filipino graduates by co-founding Kalibrr in 2013. The tech company’s AI-driven platform matches young professionals with job opportunities across Southeast Asia.

Back story Before moving back to the Philippines, Rivera worked at Google in San Francisco and built a business, Open Access, that grew to have more than 1,000 employees over five years. It was his experience expanding Open Access that alerted Rivera to the recruitment issues Kalibrr aims to solve.

5. Chow Paredes

The biz Paredes, a 2017 Gen.T lister, is bringing real estate into the digital age with ZipMatch, the company she co-founded in 2013. The platform gives buyers, sellers and agents all the information they need about residential properties in the Philippines. In addition to its comprehensive listings, the Explore feature allows potential buyers to take a 360-degree virtual tour of a property.

Back story Paredes, 35, hails from a family of lawyers but decided to join the real estate industry in 2006, as a sales agent, and worked her way up.

6. Bjorn Pardo

Why him? Gen.T lister Pardo, 36, started out selling items on eBay and working as a courier in the US before founding his company, Xend, in 2004. Inspired by his past work, the e-commerce-meets-courier site offers businesses access to affordable, convenient shipping, with a particular focus on small businesses and entrepreneurs. Xend picks up, packs and delivers to over 230 countries. The 2016 lister has a great partnership with 7-Eleven—users can now employ Xend in more than 500 branches.

Topics

Tech Philippines Generation T

Tatler Asia