Local entrepreneur Harsh Dalal claimed to run a US$25 million (S$33 million) technology start-up and was in Forbes' annual 30 Under 30 Asia list this year.

But less than a month after being named on the list of 300 entrepreneurs, the 19-year-old co-founder and chief executive officer of Singapore-based Team Labs has been removed from the list amid reports that some of his claims cannot be verified.

On Wednesday, Forbes Asia editor Justin Doebele said in an article: "His removal comes 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."

He added that Forbes has also taken significant steps to tighten its evaluation process.

Mr Dalal, a Singapore permanent resident who recently graduated from Singapore Polytechnic with a diploma in business administration, was featured on the cover of the April/May issue of Forbes Asia along with others.

His video interview with CNA for its On The Red Dot series in January had over 900,000 views as at yesterday.

However, a detailed investigation by Singapore-based online tech media publication Tech In Asia found inconsistencies in several of his claims, including that of raising US$9.8 million in a Series A round from venture capital (VC) firm Grand Canyon Capital.

Mr Dalal told Tech In Asia that Team Labs' numbers were "conveyed by" Grand Canyon Capital and cannot be attributed to him.

The investor was also responsible for incorporating the company and managing the firm day to day, he added.

However, several links on Grand Canyon Capital's website are not working, and the site's claims that it is an investor in prominent companies Uber, Deliveroo and Airbnb cannot be corroborated.

The VC firm has little presence online, with the only online mentions traced to Team Labs.

Checks by The Straits Times found that there is no local firm registered under the name "Team Labs" or "Codexia Studios", as the start-up was previously known.

Most of the links on Team Labs' website redirect to a link to create an account, which does not seem to work. The website states that its products are used by large global players such as Coca-Cola, Hilton Worldwide Holdings and Spotify.

CNA has updated an article on its video interview with an editor's note to state that these references have been removed after clarifications from Mr Dalal.

The note also said CNA is investigating the story and will take all appropriate steps once its editorial review is complete.

Attempts by ST to contact Mr Dalal by e-mail and phone were unsuccessful. His LinkedIn profile has since been removed.

The number of employees Team Labs said it had in the CNA interview - 120 - also seems to be inflated, as only five employees are currently listed on the company's LinkedIn page.

The higher figure included contractors and independent agencies, Mr Dalal later clarified with Tech In Asia.

Netizens and those active in the tech scene have noted that more stringent checks by media outlets could have been done to verify Mr Dalal's claims.

Quest Ventures partner Jeffrey Seah said Mr Dalal had demonstrated intelligence and eloquence beyond most people his age, and that these skills would be useful for purposeful endeavours.

Mr Seah also acknowledged that there are many strong entrepreneurs among the alumni of Forbes' annual 30 Under 30 Asia list.

For VC firms that look at early-stage start-ups, the due diligence process tends to be more focused on the founders than the businesses, he said, adding that he personally would home in on signs of grit, fund-raising charisma and the individual's networks as part of his assessment.

Associate Professor Lawrence Loh, director of the National University of Singapore's Centre for Governance and Sustainability, said the ball is now in Forbes' court, and that while Forbes has withdrawn Mr Dalal from its list, its reasons for doing so have not been clear.

Prof Loh added that media outlets that have reported on Mr Dalal's claims could take action against him if he is found to have misrepresented information.