Forbes unveils Lebanon's finest: 14 trailblazing talents in the '30 Under 30' list

Recently, Forbes Middle East has unveiled its anticipated annual "30 Under 30" list, featuring the most talented Lebanese youth, who remain resilient and persistently overcome obstacles, embodying the spirit of Lebanon with unwavering charm and representation. 

This year's list highlights 120 entries in four main categories: Commerce and Finance, Entertainment, Science and Technology, and Social Impact, with 30 entries in each category. 

Assessing over 600 applications, the "Class of 2023" features individuals representing 22 nationalities, including Egyptians, who are "ruling" with 44 individuals, 15 Saudis, 14 Lebanese, 13 Emiratis, and 10 Jordanians.  

While all honorees are based in the Middle East or conduct their primary work in the region, they represent 20 countries, namely the UAE, which has the most listees with 43 based in the emirates, 36 in Egypt, 14 in Saudi Arabia, nine in Lebanon, and six in Jordan. 

Here are the 14 individuals from Lebanon who have earned a spot on Forbes Middle East's prestigious '30 Under 30' list: 

Yasmina Zaytoun

Occupation: Miss Lebanon 2022-2023 

Category: Social Impact 

Reine Metlej 

Occupation: Cofounder of BIOwayste 

Category: Social Impact 

Marc Aoun 

Occupation: Cofounder and CEO of Compost Baladi SAL 

Category: Social Impact 

Luma Makari 

Occupation: Cofounder and CEO of Elggo 

Category: Social Impact 

Hussein Ayoub 

Occupation: Director, MEA at EDT & Partners 

Category: Social Impact 

Bassel Jalaleddine 

Occupation: Founder and Managing Partner of eFlow.ai 

Category: Social Impact 

Patrick Sawaya  

Occupation: Founder of Patrick Sawaya Photography  

Category: Entertainment  

Jad Hobeika  

Occupation: Co-creative Director of Maison Georges Hobeika  

Category: Entertainment  

Al Walid El Hallani  

Occupation: Singer  

Category: Entertainment  

Ahmad Haffar  

Occupation: Managing Partner of Mindloop Studios  

Category: Entertainment 

Paolo Khayat 

Occupation: Cofounder and CEO of Libas 

Category: Commerce & Finance 

Hasan Jaafar 

Occupation: Cofounder and COO of YY ReGen 

Category: Commerce & Finance 

Nour Sleiman 

Occupation: Cofounder and Chief Communication Officer at Cartlow 

Category: Science & Technology 

Ghassan Oueidat 

Occupation: Cofounder and CEO of Asymptotic Robotics 

Category: Science & Technology