Forbes Removed S’pore’s 19YO Tech CEO from 30 Under 30 Asia List After Numerous Information Gaps Found in His Company’s Narrative

By
Zhi Hao
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Last Updated on 2021-05-16 , 10:57 am

It appears that the much-lauded CEO of Team Labs has lost some of his exceptional glamour.

So lest you’re unaware, Harsh Dalal is a 19-year-old who’s currently running a US$25 million tech start-up with 120 employees across eight cities.

Oh, and he was also recently inducted into Forbes’ annual ’30 Under 30 Asia’ list, a fact that’s pretty self-explanatory. But if you’re stumped over what it entails, it’s a list that entails 300 young entrepreneurs, leaders and trailblazers across Asia, all below the age of 30.

Suffice to say, it’s a prestigious list that your average Ah Kau would find hard to enter.

But here’s the twist in the story;

Harsh has since been removed from Forbes’ list, following supposed information gaps that were uncovered in his company’s narrative.

Looks like reality’s harsher than it would seem.

Forbes Removed S’pore’s 19YO Tech CEO from 30 Under 30 Asia List After Numerous Information Gaps Found in His Company’s Narrative

According to Tech In Asia, the business publication made the decision “after a careful consideration of the findings of a comprehensive review of the information that was used to qualify him for the list, as well as new information that has come to light in recent days”.

Tech In Asia had previously unveiled a “scrutinising” story after conducting thorough investigations, and reportedly uncovered numerous “gaps” in the company’s narrative.

Forbes has also done its own review, and ended up removing key claims Dalal had created from a profile story.

One thing then led to another and the young entrepreneur has been booted from the prestigious list.

The publication stated that it has since “taken significant steps to further tighten our evaluation processes.”

“Forbes holds itself to the highest standards of journalism, and that includes the integrity of the 30 Under 30 Asia list. The information that we now know about Dalal supports our decision that he should no longer be included on the 30 Under 30 Asia list,” it concluded.

Inconsistencies

Apparently, a significant number of inconsistencies were uncovered in Team Labs’ back scene. SCV and KIC, for instance, were previously hinted at to be the company’s investors, but Dalal would later ‘clarify’ that they did not actually invest in the startup.

The number of employees is also a questionable one. Though reports previously stated Team Labs’ total strength to be at 120 strong, their LinkedIn page only mentioned 11.

Their website is also arguably controversial, with potentially misleading images that do not truly reflect the situation at their company.

The revelation has since led to Dalal’s unceremonious removal from Forbes’ list, as well as CNA’s retracted video, one of two which had featured the young entrepreneur.

Peers

Meanwhile, other Singaporean names on the list have remained intact.

These include the co-founders of logistics start-up Janio Asia, 28-year-olds Mohamed Afiq, Junkai Ng and Nathaniel Yim, as well as 23-year-old silat athlete Sheik Farhan and 28-year-old Serene Cai, co-founder of digital health start-up Speedoc.

Other Asian names, including Korean sensations IU and Nam Joo-hyuk, as well as world no. 1 women’s singles table tennis player Chen Meng, are also on the list.

And if you’re wondering whether those millionaire YouTubers you see in YouTube ads are really raking in millions of dollars annually, watch this video to the end (yes, they’re earning millions of dollars but there’s a catch):

Featured Image: Youtube (CNA Insider)

Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:

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Zhi Hao
Email: [email protected]