In a strategic move aiming to reshape Asia’s venture landscape, early-stage VC firm Gobi Partners has entered Japan, becoming a Global Network Partner at Takanawa Gateway Link Scholars’ Hub (LiSH), operated by East Japan Railway Company, JR East
This step marks a concerted effort to link Japan’s deep industrial and technological ecosystem with the entrepreneurial dynamism of Southeast Asia.
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LiSH, situated in the futuristic Takanawa Gateway City and directly connected to Tokyo International Airport, serves as a “global gateway” for startups, corporates, and researchers to collaborate on innovations shaping urban life. Opened in May 2025, the hub embodies the country’s ambition to redefine future living through smart-city solutions and cross-border collaboration.
For Gobi, the move underscores a strategic pivot: rather than simply backing Southeast Asia-born startups, the firm now aims to function as a trans-regional bridge, connecting supply-side industrial might with demand-side startup energy. As Gobi co-founder and chair Thomas G. Tsao said, the goal is to position the VC firm “in the middle” of what he describes as the “next wave of cross-border venture activity.”
This expansion builds on years of existing collaboration. Gobi has already co-hosted the Malaysia-Japan Innovation & Capital Forum with entities, including Tokyo Stock Exchange and JETRO. The firm has also partnered with Japan-based funds and corporates — channeling capital and strategic backing into Southeast Asian digital-economy businesses.
Previous portfolio companies under Gobi have received investment or strategic support from Japanese corporations, including Saison Group, OSK SBI Group, Yamato Transport, Persol Group, Cool Japan Fund, Sumitomo Corporation, Kodansha, MUFG, and Daiwa Securities Group, underscoring deep financial, operational, and strategic linkages.
Japan itself is doubling down on global outreach. Its national Startup Development Five-Year Plan (2022-2027) aims to nurture 100,000 startups and produce 100 unicorns, with cross-border collaboration seen as a key pillar. Recent data underlines momentum: venture funding in Japan rose 35 per cent in 2024, while Southeast Asia attracted over US$5 billion in early-stage capital, suggesting both regions are entering a new phase of mutual convergence.
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With this expansion, Gobi Partners is betting on a powerful thesis: that Asia’s next growth wave will not come from isolated ecosystems, but from connected ecosystems, where Japanese industrial excellence meets Southeast Asian startup agility. For global and regional investors, the newly merged network offers fresh opportunities for co-creation, capital deployment, and scale beyond borders.
As Tsao puts it: “Where others see risk, we see inevitability.” And if this move pays off, it may mark the start of a new era for pan-Asian venture capital — one where capital, talent, and ideas flow freely between Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Manila and beyond.
Last year, Gobi Partners established a strategic partnership with Japan-based Cross Capital to facilitate cross-border innovation and enhance the flow of Japanese investments into Southeast Asia’s startup landscape.
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