Joseph Phua

Non-executive chairman, M17 Group

Tatler Asia
For building a burgeoning social entertainment giant

Joseph’s entrepreneurial career began when he co-founded location-based dating and networking app Paktor. In 2017 it merged with Taiwanese live-streaming platform 17 Media to form M17 Entertainment. Under Joseph’s leadership, M17 has become a major player in Asia’s social entertainment scene, expanding into Hong Kong, Indonesia and Japan. In 2018, it raised US$25m in funding from investors including Temasek subsidiary Pavilion Capital.

Impacted Industries


  • Entertainment

  • Technology