Gobi Partners, a pan-Asian investment firm managing $2 billion across more than 30 funds, and Japan’s technology firm NTT will jointly explore opportunities in startup matching, business validation, proof-of-concept initiatives, and cross-border commercial engagement between Japan and Southeast Asia.
In a statement on Monday, Gobi Partners, based in Malaysia and Hong Kong, said it has entered a strategic collaboration with NTT for the move. The collaboration can bring together Gobi’s regional venture capital platform and startup network with NTT’s enterprise capabilities and technology expertise, aiming to help emerging technologies move from innovation to enterprise adoption across the two regions.
Thomas G. Tsao, Co-Founder and Chairperson of Gobi Partners, said the firm’s ambition in expanding into Japan was not only to establish a presence, but to build stronger relationships between Japan’s industrial and technological strengths and Southeast Asia’s entrepreneurial momentum. Venture capital must focus on connecting entrepreneurs with partners, markets, and opportunities that help innovation grow, the executive added.
Ken Katsuyama, SVP and Head of Global Business at NTT, said innovation creates the greatest impact when startups and established enterprises work together to solve real business challenges. NTT looks forward to exploring opportunities that connect emerging technologies with enterprise needs, the executive emphasized.
Gobi Partners and NTT will explore connecting startups from Gobi’s network with relevant NTT Group companies for business matching, technology validation, and potential commercial applications. They will also cooperate in knowledge exchange, curated introductions, and initiatives involving startups, corporates, investors, universities, and public institutions across Japan and Malaysia.
The collaboration builds on Gobi’s expansion into Japan in 2025 through its Global Network Partnership with East Japan Railway Company’s Takanawa Gateway Link Scholars’ Hub, alongside relationships with the Tokyo Stock Exchange, JETRO, and Cross Capital.