New Straits Times

GOBI INVESTS IN 4 MORE STARTUPS

Venture capital firm onboards Durioo+, Lapasar, Paywatch and pitchIN

- KUALA LUMPUR

GOBI Partners, an interconne­cted Pan-Asian venture capital firm with US$1.5 billion in assets under management, has onboarded four more promising startups to help spur the growth of Malaysian entreprene­urs.

The four firms being onboarded to Gobi Superseed II Fund (Gobi SSII Fund) are Islamic-themed streaming service Durioo+, e-commerce marketplac­e Lapasar, earned wage access provider Paywatch and online investing platform pitchIN.

All four have been identified as leaders in their respective fields and have the capability to scale up and bring sizeable returns to the Malaysian economy.

Gobi Malaysia managing partner Jamaludin Bujang said yesterday he was excited to welcome the new portfolios to the Gobi family and to help guide them through the expected economic headwinds this year.

“We are continuing our efforts to help spur the growth of entreprene­urs, especially startups and small and medium enterprise­s (SMEs), in the local ecosystem during a challengin­g time for the Malaysian economy, as evidenced by our latest investment into these four companies under the Gobi SSII Fund.

“The tough situations faced by startups do, in a way, act as a natural filter for us to choose the best companies. Because of this, we were able to identify and then invest in Durioo+, Lapasar, Paywatch and pitchIN who have not only successful­ly adjusted themselves to remain relevant to their markets but have also thrived and strengthen­ed their respective positions.”

The Gobi SSII Fund targets early-stage (Seed, Series Pre-A and Series A) technology-enabled local startups operating in segments such as artificial intelligen­ce, big data, cloud, e-commerce, financial technology, Internet of Things and halal economy.

Aside from the new additions, the fund has since its launch in late 2020 invested in four other Malaysian startups, namely Sunway Innovation Labs, TechNode, Speedhome and PolicyStre­et.

 ?? ?? Gobi Malaysia managing partner Jamaludin Bujang with (from left) Durioo+ founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Sinan Ismail, Lapasar co-founder and CEO Thinesh Kumar, Paywatch co-founder and chief technology officer Patrick Hew and pitchIN co-founder and CEO Sam Shafie at the Superseed Fund Day yesterday.
Gobi Malaysia managing partner Jamaludin Bujang with (from left) Durioo+ founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Sinan Ismail, Lapasar co-founder and CEO Thinesh Kumar, Paywatch co-founder and chief technology officer Patrick Hew and pitchIN co-founder and CEO Sam Shafie at the Superseed Fund Day yesterday.

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