ILONGGO Justin “Popi” Banusing was just joking about being part of Forbes’ list of “favorite short people” but he turned out to be really a part of the prestigious list.
The Iloilo native was cited by Forbes’ “30 Under 30 Asia” 2022 list under the Consumer Technology category due to Philippine Esports startup AcadArena.
Banusing created the AcadArena in 2019 along with Ariane Lim and Kevin Hoang as an initiative to support esports in the academe.
They have partnered with more than 600 schools, covering 100,000 students, and even raised $3.5 million (around P183 million) for funding.
“Yesterday, I was joking about being on Forbes’ list of favorite short people. Today, I’m humbled to be selected as part of this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 cohort – on my last day of school!” Canusing wrote on his Facebook page.
Banusing, son of respected Iloilo entrepreneur Gus Banusing and chef/restaurateur Pauline Gorriceta Banusing, reminisced being told before that his passion for gaming would never get him anywhere. Eventually he was given the chance to work within the gaming industry across numerous fields.
Banusing started his first company at the age of 16, centered on events, but it was not free flowing for him.
“High school was tough to balance, and I was looked at as weird for doing this. I even got called out by some classmates plus their parents for ‘cheating’ for some random awards. I only attended grad for friends and parents,” Banusing said.
Banusing then took a huge risk and started a new life in the United States. He initially struggled. He felt homesick but was able to overcome the hardships of staying abroad.
“At 18, I used my savings from everything, and dropped everything I had to move to the US for college. It was fun, but incredibly lonely at the start. There were so many times I wanted to just give up and go home, but I was able to find my place and meet awesome people,” he said.
“At 20, I thought I lost everything when the pandemic happened. Events were over and I had to shut down CONQuest. I couldn’t find any internships and got rejected from pretty much every opening I applied to,” he added.
Out of desperation, he set up AcadArena with Lim and Hoang. He admitted that it was difficult to balance his life as a student and entrepreneur, but he managed to overcome the hurdles he endured.
“Running a startup in a pandemic (especially as a student) was tough, but we knew we had to do something for the campus gaming scene. And as we gave back to the community, success followed,” he said.
“Today, I’m finishing up my last week of college debt-free, in the founding team of a venture-backed startup, but unfortunately still 5’5. This ride’s only getting started. What a way to top off my college life,” he added.
Forbes announced its seventh annual “30 Under 30 Asia” list recently featuring more than 300 young change-makers in the Asia-Pacific region driving innovation in their respective fields.
The individuals chosen are spread across 10 categories, with each category featuring at least 30 notable honorees. There are at times more than 30 honorees in each category as some startups have more than one founder, but are counted collectively as one.
Judges for this year’s :30 Under 30 Asia: in the consumer technology category are Hian Goh, founding partner OpenSpace Ventures; Anabelle Long, managing partner, Bertelsmann Asia Investment; and Chandra Tjan, cofounder and general Partner, Alpha JWC Ventures.
“Selected from over 4,000 nominations, a record number for the Asia list, researched by Forbes journalists from across the region and vetted by industry veterans, this select group of relentless individuals are disrupting industries and tackling major global issues,” Forbes said.
The criteria for honorees making the list include their demonstration of leadership, how they embody the entrepreneurial spirit that is synonymous with Forbes, and their potential of success in their industry.
Other factors like innovation, disruption – and size and growth of their ventures in some categories – play a role in making the final decision./PN
