14 Lebanese make Forbes Middle East's 30 Under 30 List

Fourteen young Lebanese have made it on Forbes Middle East's "30 Under 30" list, a testament to their influential and promising roles across the region.

The sixth edition of the list showcased talented individuals in four categories: science and technology, entertainment, business and finance and social impact.

The 14 Lebanese innovators were selected for their potential and impact within their respective sectors and broader society. The list, which includes 145 names, features talent from across the region, and includes 44 Egyptians, 15 Saudis, 14 Lebanese, 13 Emiratis, and 10 Jordanians. Besides age and country of residence, selection criteria considered factors like revenue, accolades, funding raised, client base, and social media followings.

Among the Lebanese stars on the list are:

- Ahmad Haffar (28, UAE, entertainment), an associate director at Mindloop Studios since 2017. Known as "The Voice of Dubai," he produced soundtracks for 71 companies.

- Al Walid Hallani (22, Lebanon, entertainment), a Lebanese-American singer and son of Lebanese singer Assi el-Hallani, whose track "Zeffo el-Amar" garnered over 6 million YouTube views in just four months.

- Jad Hobeika (27, France, entertainment), co-creative director at Maison Georges Hobeika. He has been dressing celebrities like Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Heidi Klum alongside his father Georges Hobeika since 2022.

(Retrieved from Forbes Middle East's official website)

- Patrick Sawaya (28, Lebanon, entertainment), founder of Patrick Sawaya Photography, has collaborated with luxury brands like Dior, Givenchy, and Saint Laurent and covered events like the Cannes Film Festival and Paris Fashion Week.

- Hasan Jaafar (28, Lebanon, business and finance), co-founder and COO of YY ReGen, focuses on renewable energies, sustainable agriculture, and water-related solutions, introducing portable solar-powered generators with Re-Gen-R8.

- Paolo Khayat (24, UAE, business and finance), co-founder and CEO of Libas, a commercial platform for buying and selling genuine designer pieces, started in Lebanon in 2022 and expanding to the UAE.

- Bassel Jalaleddine (28, Lebanon, social impact), founder and partner of eFlow.ai, developed a conversational learning AI-based platform with an interactive chatbot offering social media courses distributed in seven regional countries.

- Hussein Ayoub (27, Lebanon, social impact), Middle East and North Africa director at EDT & Partners, is dedicated to transformative education, exploring and implementing innovative learning approaches.

- Luma Makari (22, Lebanon, social impact), co-founder and CEO of Elggo. Created an AI mental health platform for the kindergarten to secondary school cycle in the Middle East and North Africa region.

- Marc Aoun (29, Lebanon, social impact), co-founder and CEO of Compost Baladi SAL, has processed 4,000 tons of organic waste, producing over 3,000 tons of organic fertilizer with 200 installations across Lebanon.

- Reine Metlej (26, Lebanon, social impact), co-founder of BIOwayste, converts organic waste into cooking gas and bio-fertilizer, with machines capable of processing seven tons of organic waste annually for restaurants.

- Yasmina Zaytoun (20, Lebanon, social impact), crowned Miss Lebanon 2022-2023, serves as an ambassador for the Lebanese Food Bank and the Children's Cancer Center of Lebanon.

- Ghassan Oueidat (28, USA, science and technology), co-founder and CEO of Asymptotic Robotics, innovated an autonomous cleaning robot poised to replace skyscraper window cleaners.

- Nour Sleiman (27, UAE, science and technology), a Lebanese-Spanish entrepreneur, co-founded Cartlow and leads communications, providing a reverse logistics solution that maximizes value from returned and unwanted products.