Gobi launches $50m venture capital fund for Pakistan startups

Pan-Asian investor bets on Beijing-Islamabad ties and nascent e-commerce

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Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the chief minister of Pakistan's Punjab province, with Thomas G. Tsao, the co-founder and chairman of Gobi Partners, at an event in Shanghai on Dec. 12. (Photo by Wataru Suzuki)

WATARU SUZUKI, Nikkei staff writer

SHANGHAI -- Venture capital firm Gobi Partners said on Thursday that it plans to raise $50 million for an investment fund targeting startups in Pakistan, the largest of its kind in the South Asian country.

Techxila Fund 2 is the second Pakistan-focused fund launched by Gobi, which is based in Malaysia and Hong Kong. It targets early stage startups in the seed to series B phases, investing up to $3 million per deal. It has already made two investments -- fintech company Qist Bazaar and insurance venture Waada.

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