Feature: Asia's young entrepreneurs recognized for transformative, innovative, optimistic drive

When nine-year-old Owen Xu cried out, requesting all guests not to eat shark's fin at the banquet for his grandpa's birthday, he had no idea that seven years later, his name will show up on Forbes.

Xu, who lives in Shanghai but was educated at international schools, has always been an environmentalist. At the banquet, after explaining the cruel way of killing sharks, he realized that even a child can change other people and the whole environment. Therefore, he became a "green ambassador" of his father's textile factory, making sure that the ways they operate don't pollute the environment.

In 2015, a 16-year-old Xu built up his own team and company called MicroH2O, focusing on wastewater treatment and renewable technologies, which also made him one of the youngest entrepreneurs on Forbes' inaugural 30 Under 30 Asia list launched earlier this year.

Forbes' "30 under 30 Asia list" features 300 young innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders across Asia in 10 categories who are under 30 years of age and who are transforming business, technology, industry, media, culture and more, as judged by some of the most accomplished and acclaimed individuals in each of the total of 10 categories.

On Thursday, many of these young leaders gathered at the inaugural Under 30 Summit Asia in Singapore to share their experiences.

Talking about these young entrepreneurs, Randall Lane, editor of Forbes magazine, told Xinhua that technology makes them quite different from their parents' generation.

"They're digital natives. These under 30s entrepreneurs have never known a time without the internet. Think about that, people just 10 years older, didn't see a computer even in college, or after college. And they didn't know what the internet was, so their brains work differently," Lane said.

And what also puts them on the list is their dedication to society. "It really depends on whether they've done anything to change the world for the better," Lane explained.

The information age also helps create a new look for the young entrepreneurs. G-Dragon, the Korean pop star who's also on the list, perhaps represents the personal traits of these young leaders: They're talented, and willing to show their talents, confident but not rebellious. And they have a wide range of interests, unlike their parents, yet business is not their whole life. And most of all, they are not afraid to fail.

"They are comfortable with taking risks. They understand that sometimes the biggest risk of all is to not take a risk. They've got drive. They've got the ability to keep trying and not worry about failure, which traditionally, most of the world sees as a bad thing; but if you're comfortable with that and understand you've got to fall down and get up, you're likely to succeed. And those succeeders are the ones that are here today," said Lane.

When asked whether these young leaders from different cultures and countries do differently, Lane said, it's what they've got in common that impresses him most.

"It's funny, they have far more similarities than differences. Whether American, someone from Israel, France, or China, they have more in common as entrepreneurs than two people from the same country, because they understand what it is like to risk everything; what is like to start a company."

The "30 under 30 Asia list" comes after the "30 Under 30 Europe List", which reflects the tremendous development potential and creativity in the Asia-Pacific region. Among all the 300 young leaders, more than 70 come from China, which shows that even as the Chinese economy is restructuring towards consumption and service, youngsters are still finding the booming market full of dynamic opportunities to set up their own niche businesses.

"China is obviously an incredible ascending country. And entrepreneurship is something that the more mature an economy gets, the more it allows entrepreneurs to thrive. This process is well underway in China," noted Lane.

Talking about the Chinese young leaders, Lane said that as the opportunity is bigger, their ideas are bigger. "It's a big market and there's so much going on. So I see huge opportunities ahead, reflected in the eyes, hearts and unyielding optimism of these young trail blazers." Endit