- Will lead Roblox’s Southeast Asia and Oceania operations, focusing on creators, partnerships and regional growth
- Former Fave founder returns to his childhood interest in gaming after two decades building technology businesses across Asia
Malaysian technology entrepreneur Joel Neoh has been appointed managing director for Southeast Asia and Oceania at Roblox, the global gaming and creation platform, marking a return of sorts to a childhood fascination that first sparked his interest in technology.
In a LinkedIn post announcing his appointment, Joel recalled getting his first personal computer at the age of nine and spending countless hours playing SimCity, the popular city-building simulation game.
“I was fascinated by how I could build entire cities and worlds from my imagination. At one point, I even dreamed of becoming a game developer,” he shared.
“Well, that didn’t quite happen, haha,” he added.
Instead, Neoh spent the next two decades building technology businesses across digital media, e-commerce, payments, fintech and healthtech, including founding Malaysian group-buying platform GroupsMore and Southeast Asian payments platform Fave. An active angel investor since 2015, he also launched FirstMove, an early-stage fund in 2023, which is now focusing on AI based startups in Southeast Asia.
His new role at Roblox brings him closer to the world of gaming and digital creation that first captured his imagination.
As managing director, Neoh will be Roblox’s most senior business executive for Southeast Asia and Oceania, responsible for expanding the company’s regional presence, developing partnerships and supporting its growing community of developers and creators.
A key priority will be helping local studios use Roblox’s development tools to scale their businesses and reach international audiences, while strengthening engagement with players, parents and other stakeholders.
“I’ve spent my career building companies across this region, and I’ve seen first-hand the creativity, optimism and entrepreneurial energy here,” Neoh said.
“We’re at a moment where technology is making it easier than ever for people to move from simply consuming digital experiences to creating them. That’s what excites me most about Roblox.”
Neoh believes Roblox can help a new generation of Southeast Asian and Oceanian creators turn their ideas into experiences, communities and businesses with global reach.
He also emphasised the importance of online safety, particularly as the platform continues to attract younger users.
“As we grow, keeping young people safe and working closely with parents, regulators and local communities will remain central to everything we do,” he said.
Two decades building technology businesses
Neoh founded GroupsMore in Malaysia in 2010, which subsequently merged with Groupon ahead of its initial public offering. He later led Groupon’s Asia-Pacific operations.
He went on to establish Fave, a Southeast Asian fintech and consumer payments platform that grew to more than 10 million users before being acquired by Pine Labs in 2021.
Most recently, he served as managing director at Prenetics, overseeing its consumer health businesses. He was also involved in the launch of IM8, a consumer healthcare brand under Prenetics.
Zhen Fang, vice-president of international at Roblox, said Southeast Asia and Oceania were important growth regions for the company, supported by a vibrant community of players and creators.
“Joel has built and scaled businesses across the region for two decades and his entrepreneurial experience and strong ties to the local tech ecosystem make him the right leader to guide the next phase of our growth across these regions,” Fang said.
Back to where it started
In his LinkedIn post, Joel shared that he had returned to Southeast Asia earlier this year and taken a break from work, spending much of his time playing tennis.
But the break did not last long.
He joked that there was only so much tennis he could play before his joints started complaining.
Joel said he knew he wanted to return to technology, but more importantly, to pursue something meaningful for the region where he grew up, and where he has made close to 50 startup investments over the past decade.
His new position at Roblox brings together those ambitions with the childhood interest in gaming that first inspired him.
As he put it: “And somehow, that brought me back to where it all started.”
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