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A supporter of Gobi’s efforts to expand in ASEAN since 2014, Jamal joined the firm in 2019 and is overseeing operations and investment activities at Gobi’s Kuala Lumpur office. He has 15 years of experience in equity research, investment evaluation, corporate finance, and M&A and an additional 14 years of experience in venture capital.

Prior to Gobi, he was the CEO of MAVCAP, Malaysia’s largest venture capital firm, which has directly and indirectly invested in over 1,100 startups since 2001. While at MAVCAP, Jamal shifted the company’s strategic direction to focus on raising funds from the private sector and managing funds with local and international VC partners, including 500 Startups, Elixir Capital, Gobi Partners, Vynn Capital and Intres Capital. He attracted a number of local corporates and sovereign funds to invest in VC funds, including Axiata, Johor Corporation, and Khazanah Nasional. In total, Jamal helped MAVCAP to create, manage, and participate in nine funds, with a combined size of over US$500 M. At Gobi, he successfully created and launched a $20m venture fund in Pakistan, in collaboration with the Fatima Group, one of the country’s largest conglomerates.

Since 2014, some of the 430 companies that has received funding from those funds include two Southeast Asian unicorns – Bukalapak and Grab, and successful Malaysian startups such as Aerodyne, FashionValet, EasyParcel, Katsana, and TheLorry). He is active in the Malaysian startup scene; and has served as the Chairman of the Malaysian Venture Capital Association, a member of the Malaysian Venture Capital Development Council, a founding member and Treasurer of the Global Entrepreneurship Movement and as member of investment committees in several VC funds and government grants.