ISLAMABAD: Five young Pakistanis and a newly launched local startup have made it on the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list of the world’s brightest entrepreneurs, leaders and game-changers.
Chosen from more than 2,000 entries, the Forbes magazine list is considered the definitive guide to “Asia’s next generation of leaders” and is prepared by a large team of researchers and vetted by an A-list of judges. 
Forbes magazine launched its 30 Under 30 list in 2011. Among other variables, the ranking is determined on the basis of leadership, innovation and entrepreneurial abilities. The following Pakistanis featured on the magazine’s list this year.

Zainab Bibi founded the Pakistan Society for Green Energy in 2013, a research organization that creates awareness about environmental issues and develops alternative energy sources. Among her many achievements, Bibi has used waste tissue papers to create bio-fuel and won the Queen’s Young Leaders Award.

Laila Kasuri is a water analyst with Global Green Growth Investment. A Harvard graduate in Hydrology and Geomechanics, Kasuri has also led research on climate-smart irrigation at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, the World Bank, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences.

Karishma Ali hails from Chitral and is the only female footballer from her hometown playing for various national and international clubs. Ali has not only challenged stereotypes associated with the sport in her country but has also tried to help other female athletes by establishing the Chitral Women’s Sports Club of which she is the president. 

Ahmed Rauf Essa co-founded one of the largest e-commerce platforms in Pakistan, Telemart, while he was a 23 year-old business school student. Within a span of a few years, Essa has won several awards in recognition of his business acumen and been nominated as a judge for the International Business Awards 2018.

Zain Ashraf is the founder of Pakistan’s first crowdfunded platform, Seed Out, which seeks to eradicate poverty through interest-free microfinancing. In 2018, Ashraf won the Commonwealth Youth Award for his contributions to his country’s development sector.

Roshni Rides co-founded by Hanaa Lakhani, Hasan Usmani, Gia Farooqi and Moneeb Mian, a women-friendly carpooling facility that operates in Karachi. Roshni Rides also won the Hult Prize Challenge in September 2017 and was awarded $1 million to empower women by providing them affordable and safe transportation facilities.