Thomas G. Tsao is a venture capital investor and Co-founder of Gobi Partners, a leading Asia-focused venture capital firm with nearly US$2 billion in assets under management (AUM), headquartered in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. Founded in 2002, Gobi maintains a network of 16 locations, has raised 20+ funds, and has invested in over 400 startups.

Thomas has over 30 years of experience across venture capital, operations, fund management, and investment banking. Over the last 20+ years, he has actively helped entrepreneurs build companies and create long-term value.

In China, Thomas was a first-round investor in Airwallex, Dianwoda (acquired by Cainiao), Teambition (acquired by Alibaba), Tuniu (IPO), UR (acquired by HLA), and WaveOptics (acquired by Snap). He was named to the Forbes List of China’s Top VCs (2013–2017). For two years, he served as CEO of DMG and created the world’s first subway soap opera, starring Huang Xiaoming, for Starbucks.

Thomas helps lead the team managing funds in the Greater Bay Area, including the Patient Capital Strategic Fund established with HKIC to foster deep-tech breakthroughs. Gobi has invested in companies such as Animoca Brands, DayDayCook (IPO), GenEditBio, GoGoX (IPO), Orcauboat, Prenetics (de-SPAC), Sandbox VR, Xense Robotics, and WeLab.

In 2015, Thomas relocated to Kuala Lumpur, where he established several funds with MAVCAP (now Jelawang Capital). Gobi has invested in over 100 companies in Southeast Asia, including Carsome, Funding Societies, HealthMetrics, Kumu, PolicyStreet, and Synagistics (de-SPAC), alongside multiple regional exits.

Thomas is building Gobi’s TaqwaTech investment practice, focused on innovative startups serving Muslim communities across finance, education, mobility, and commerce.

Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Thomas graduated from Harvard University with a BA in Economics and was the inspiration for Seinfeld’s Movie Phone episode. He serves as a board member of Endeavor Malaysia and as a committee member of the Malaysia Co-Investment Fund under the Securities Commission Malaysia.

As an advocate for accessible education, Thomas founded SEO China in 2006, a non-profit organisation that has provided hundreds of internships for underserved university students. He also served as Chair of the US Presidential Scholars Foundation, which cultivates and recognises US Presidential Scholars, selected annually and honoured by the White House.