Assoc. Prof. Dr Gabriel Wee Wei En University of Southampton Malaysia

Gabriel Wee

I teach entrepreneurship by making students do it.

Educator, agritech researcher and builder of open platforms, and Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Southampton Malaysia.

“An entrepreneur does not simply identify opportunities. An entrepreneur creates the conditions for opportunities to emerge.”

Dr Gabriel Wee
Gabriel Wee in a cap and scarf beside the Round Pond, Kensington Gardens, London
LondonFebruary 2026
Move across the field. Ideas connect when you create the conditions.
RM3.1Min industry and state programmes led
4open platforms built
25+papers, chapters and proceedings
9countries on the journey, Malaysia included
01 · Ideology

Three pillars.
Five outcomes.

AEP is how I design every unit, programme and startup bootcamp. Three pillars shape the learning. Five outcomes show whether it worked. Select any pillar or outcome to see it in practice.

AEP
FIVE OUTCOMES

02 · Inventions

Things I built
so others can learn

Four free, open platforms. No sign-up, no paywall. Two make public money and Johor's biggest economic shift readable as they happen. Two turn theory into something a farmer or a student can click through, test and apply. Try the mini demos on the right.

Newest Public finance · Explainer

Budget
Watcher

budgetwatcher.my

Malaysia's Budget 2027, in plain numbers. It sets Budget 2026 out as the baseline, explains what to watch for, and fills in the announced measures live as the budget speech is tabled. It is independent, and every figure is linked to its source, from the Ministry of Finance to OpenDOSM.

  • Where each RM100 went
  • Operating vs development
  • Deficit context
  • Live on budget day
Open Budget Watcher
Every RM100 of Budget 2026Total RM419.2B
RM81to run the government
RM338.2B operating
RM19to build and develop
RM81.0B development
Budget 2027 is tabledFri 9 Oct, 4pmDewan Rakyat
Economic intelligence · Public tracker

Johor
Signal

johorsignal.my

An independent tracker for the Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone. The major JS-SEZ projects are in one place and followed milestone by milestone, and every figure and date links back to a public source. A Career Compass shows graduates which fields are growing in Johor, where the skill shortages are and what salaries to expect.

  • Project tracker
  • Zone indicators
  • Career Compass
  • Sourced figures
Open Johor Signal
JS-SEZ at a glanceAgreement signed Jan 2025
9flagship zones tracked
3,588 km²of economic zone
RM73Bpotential investment from 1,000 inquiries
S$5.5Bcommitted by Singapore-based firms
24,584new jobs expected from 2025 approvals
20,000skilled jobs targeted in five years

Figures as shown on johorsignal.my, each linked there to its official or news source.

Smart agriculture · Learning platform

AgroTech
Explorer

agrotechexplorer.my

An interactive learning and technology-recommendation platform for digital agriculture. Farmers and students explore IoT, AI, drones, satellites and automation, tell it what they farm and the challenge they face, and get a suggested technology pathway.

  • Technology library
  • Technology finder
  • Readiness check
  • Knowledge quiz
Open AgroTech Explorer
How smart agriculture works1 / 7

Example on the platform: a coffee farmer irrigating by eye adds a soil-moisture sensor, which leads to digital monitoring and better irrigation timing.

Entrepreneurship · Learning platform

EntreXplorer

entrepreneurshiphub.my

Built for my students at the University of Southampton Malaysia. Learn entrepreneurship by exploring, not memorising. Plain-language concepts with Malaysian examples, fill-in frameworks, and case studies of Grab, AirAsia, Carsome and more, unpacked decision by decision. It takes a student from their first frustration to their first paying customer.

  • Founder profile quiz
  • Six-stage journey
  • Case studies
  • Frameworks
Open EntreXplorer
The six-stage journey01 / 06

114concepts
18case studies
126quiz questions
6activities
03 · Research

Papers from
the field

My research asks what makes people adopt new technology and start new ventures, from smallholder farmers in Sarawak to shoppers in the metaverse. Filter by theme.

    Full list on Google Scholar → ORCID 0000-0003-2980-9404 →
    04 · News

    In the news

    Student ventures, industry visits, partnerships and a few opinions of my own, from my years leading the Entrepreneurship Hub at Swinburne Sarawak.

    Recognition15 Apr 2025 · Windsor

    Meeting HRH Princess Anne at Windsor Castle to champion leadership beyond borders

    Invited to the Commonwealth Study Conference Presidential Council Appreciation Dinner with a group of global leaders.

    Read on swinburne.edu.my →     OpinionSwinSays

    Entrepreneurship after graduation is too late

    Why Malaysia must start entrepreneurship education earlier to strengthen SMEs and build resilient talent.

    Read →     Student ventureRobocafe

    Students run their own AI robotic café on campus

    Jesper Aw and Justin Aw build and operate Robocafe Sdn Bhd while still studying.

    Read →     Research partnershipMelinau EV

    What makes Sarawakians switch to green vehicles?

    A research project with Melinau EV Sdn Bhd on the factors behind EV adoption in the state.

    Read →     SwinTalkCircular economy

    YGBB Campus outlet launches to cut food waste

    A student-led sustainability venture launched at a special edition of SwinTalk.

    Read →     Entrepreneurship HubXiaohongshu

    The official Xiaohongshu team's first visit to Sarawak

    “2026 Xiaohongshu NEW Ways to Play”, hosted with Mango Media Borneo.

    Read →     SwinSPINE21 May 2025

    30 students at the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre

    Industry-led learning where research meets commercialisation.

    Read →     SwinSPINEInterflour

    Inside the Sarawak Flour Mill

    Twenty entrepreneurship students see large-scale industrial operations first-hand.

    Read →     Award2025

    Private Education Excellence Awards 2025

    National recognition for excellence in teaching, research and academic leadership.

    Read →
    All coverage on swinburne.edu.my →
    05 · Journey

    Kuching
    to the world

    Every route starts from home in Kuching, Sarawak. Conferences, professorships, exchanges and leadership programmes across eight countries. Pick a destination.

    06 · Honours

    Recognition

    Awards for teaching, research and leadership, and the academic roles that came with them.

    • 2025National Outstanding Young Educator Award
    • 2025Best Paper and Presenter, ICOABAE-25, Tokyo
    • 2025Research Seed Grant: drivers of entrepreneurship intention in the metaverse
    • 2024Malaysia Influential Educators Award 2024/2025
    • 2024Swinburne Sarawak Teaching Excellence Award
    • 2024Gold Award, Global Future Leaders Forum
    • 2023Gold Award, Innovation Technology Expo (InTEX)
    • NowAssociate Professor of Entrepreneurship, University of Southampton Malaysia
    • 2025Adjunct Professor, Zhejiang Research Institute of Digital Commerce (2025–2026)
    • 2024Visiting Professor, Zhejiang Yuexiu University
    • 2024Research Fellow, Ho Chi Minh City Open University
    • 2024ECR Grant: TEGAS Accelerator and Sarawak's PCDS 2030 strategy
    • 2023Best Presenter, ICRTH 2023, Bogor
    DBAMBA (Swinburne)BCom Accounting & Finance (Swinburne)CSEI (Harvard)SFHEA (Advanced HE)GradCert T&L in HEGoogle Data Analytics ProfessionalHRD Corp Certified TrainerMicrosoft Innovative Educator