Gobi Partners, a leading Asia-focused venture capital firm, has announced a strategic investment in NanoSkunkWorkX (nSWX), a Malaysian deep tech startup developing manufacturable graphene systems engineered for breakthrough performance in real-world conditions with applications across green hydrogen production, semiconductors, and diagnostics.

Gobi said in a statement on Wednesday that this investment marks its first deep tech investment in Southeast Asia and reflects the firm’s continued commitment to building Malaysia’s innovation ecosystem by supporting globally competitive ventures at the frontier of science and technology.

The investment was made through the Gobi Dana Impak Ventures (GDIV) Fund, in line with Khazanah’s Malaysia Investment strategy anchored on ‘A Nation That Creates’ framework.

It also supports Dana Impak’s strategic objective of advancing Malaysia’s position in the global semiconductor and advanced manufacturing value chain, as part of Khazanah’s broader commitment to Advancing Malaysia.

GDIV targets high-potential Malaysian startups with the capacity to scale and deliver meaningful national impact.

“NanoSkunkWorkX represents the kind of bold, deep tech innovation Malaysia needs to nurture,

“This investment reflects our confidence in Malaysia’s ability to produce globally competitive technology from within,” said Thomas G. Tsao, Co-founder and Chairperson of Gobi Partners.

Hisham Ibrahim, Managing Director, ASEAN of Gobi Partners, added that by backing visionary founders, the firm is helping to build a stronger, more resilient innovation ecosystem for the country and establishing Malaysia as a place for deep tech and material science innovation.

It is noted that nSWX embodies the vision behind GDIV — to back homegrown innovation led by exceptional Malaysian talent.

The company’s mission aligns with key national priorities: scaling sovereign capabilities in chips, energy, and health — where materials meet mission.

Its founders represent the return and retention of top-tier Malaysian talent and reflect the increasing maturity of Malaysia’s tech ecosystem.

The firm’s proprietary platform integrates graphene into industrial materials at low cost and with high energy efficiency – enhancing heat management, electrical conductivity, and chemical reactivity.

In clean energy, its graphene-enhanced electrodes improve electrolysis efficiency, paving the way for scalable green hydrogen production.

The firm is actively engaging global energy leaders to co-develop system-level platforms and convening consortia to accelerate modular hydrogen deployment.

In semiconductors, the company’s solutions aim to boost chip performance while reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.

Its ruggedized biosensor platform, developed in partnership with Malaysia’s Ministry of Health and Universiti Malaya’s Tropical Infectious Diseases Research & Education Center (TIDREC), is also being adapted for next-generation field diagnostics in collaboration with health and security partners.

Built on wet electrochemistry and sustainable deposition techniques, nSWX’s platform bridges materials science and device engineering-translating lab breakthroughs into industrial solutions.

Founded by Dr. Amani Salim, a former NASA principal investigator, and Iqbal Shamsul, an MIT-trained computer scientist and former energy and derivatives trader at Morgan Stanley, nSWX is translating frontier science into functional, real-world technologies.

“At NanoSkunkWorkX, we evolve ideas from orbital insights into solutions that work on the ground. Science discovers, engineering delivers — that’s our mandate,

“This partnership with Gobi and Khazanah Nasional Berhad Dana Impak shows that bold deep tech belongs here at home, driven by our people and ideas,” said Dr Amani Salim.

Iqbal Shamsul added that this investment validates not just the firm’s science, but its stance: Malaysia can lead at the edge of what’s possible.

“With Gobi and Khazanah Dana Impak, we’re scaling up not hype, but hard tech that performs under pressure: in the field, in the fab, and in the fight for a cleaner, smarter future,” he added.

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