Gobi Partners is a pan-Asian venture capital firm founded in 2002, with headquarters in Hong Kong and operational offices in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Karachi, and Dubai. The firm focuses on early-stage to growth-stage technology companies across emerging markets in Asia, with a particular emphasis on China, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East. Over more than two decades, Gobi has built one of the broader multi-geography VC platforms in the region, managing more than $1.5 billion in assets across over a dozen funds.
The firm's investment thesis centers on sectors where mobile-first consumers and underserved digital infrastructure create asymmetric opportunity. This includes fintech, edtech, healthtech, and, more recently, blockchain infrastructure and digital assets. Gobi typically writes checks at the pre-Series A and Series A stages, then follows on into later rounds for top performers. Its network across Asia gives portfolio companies access to cross-border expansion paths that pure-play Western or single-market funds cannot replicate.
Public information on Gobi Partners' disclosed crypto and blockchain portfolio is limited. The firm has not published a dedicated digital assets thesis, and most of its blockchain-adjacent investments appear to sit within broader fintech or infrastructure mandates. With 6 known portfolio companies in the digital assets space and 2 lead investments, Gobi's crypto exposure is selective rather than thematic.
Notable investments
- Careem – Middle East ride-hailing platform, acquired by Uber for $3.1 billion in 2020, one of Gobi's most cited exits.
- Telkomsel Mitra Inovasi – Joint fund with Indonesia's largest telco, giving Gobi direct exposure to Southeast Asia's largest digital consumer market.
- Kumu – Philippine live-streaming and social commerce platform.
- Haraj – Saudi Arabia's leading classifieds marketplace.
- Fave – Southeast Asian consumer loyalty and payments app (acquired by Pine Labs).
Specific named crypto or blockchain portfolio companies have not been publicly disclosed in detail. Investors researching Gobi's digital assets dealflow should consult the firm's official website or Crunchbase profile for the current portfolio list.
Team
Gobi Partners was co-founded by Thomas G. Tsao and Chibo Tang. Tsao, the managing partner, previously worked at Chordiant Software and holds degrees from Harvard and Stanford. Tang, also a managing partner, brings an operational background from the early Chinese internet era. The firm has expanded its partner team significantly as it opened new geographic funds, adding regional managing partners in Southeast Asia and the Middle East to run locally-rooted strategies. The broader team across all offices numbers over 60 professionals.
Recent activity
In the 2024–2025 period, Gobi continued to close and deploy capital from its Pakistan-focused fund (Gobi-Disrupt) and its Southeast Asia-focused vehicles. The firm announced several new investments in fintech and B2B SaaS companies across Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Gobi also deepened its presence in the Middle East, where Gulf sovereign capital has increasingly co-invested alongside the firm in regional technology rounds.
On the digital assets side, Gobi has not made high-profile announcements comparable to dedicated crypto funds such as Multicoin or Paradigm. Its blockchain activity, where it exists, appears embedded within broader fintech bets – payments rails, remittance corridors, and tokenized loyalty – rather than pure-play token or protocol investments.
Gobi Partners occupies a distinctive position as a long-tenured emerging markets generalist with the geographic reach to back companies in markets that remain undercovered by global capital. For crypto projects targeting Southeast Asian or South Asian consumer adoption, Gobi's network and local operating experience are meaningful advantages. Its crypto portfolio, while not large in disclosed deal count, reflects a measured, infrastructure-first approach rather than speculative token exposure. Founders in the region seeking patient capital with cross-border distribution value should consider Gobi a relevant conversation partner, even if digital assets remain a secondary focus within its broader mandate.