SoftBank to expand Vision Fund team for more Japan investment
- In Reports
- 12:01 PM, Jan 24, 2022
- Myind Staff
SoftBank Group Corporation plans to expand the Japan investment team for its Vision Fund. For this, founder Masayoshi Son raised about $100 billion for his first Vision Fund and has allocated $51 billion for a second, but only two of his investments have been in domestic startups.
And most of his investments are in overseas, particularly in the United States and China. The regional breakdown of SoftBank’s portfolio is 42% in the Americas, 28% in Europe and 15% in China.
However, the Chinese government has increasingly tightened regulations on technology companies and SoftBank will likely need to diversify its investments in the future.
SoftBank’s made one investment in Japan by taking a stake in the pharmaceuticals startup Aculys Pharma LLC. It also invested in SODA Inc., a startup that operates an online marketplace for sneakers and streetwear.
“Japan is the world’s third largest economy and presents a compelling opportunity for high-growth tech companies,” Matsui said.
He said, “We believe Japan is emerging as a centre of technology innovation, particularly in sectors such as biotech and frontier tech, which are poised to drive growth in the modern economy. We are tracking its growth closely and will continue to look for opportunities to grow our team and presence in the region.”
According to an interview with Bloomberg, Aculys CEO Kazunari Tsunaba said the investment by the Vision Fund was important and valuable for the startup. He said the firm is considering an alliance with a U.S. sleep-focused company that Vision Fund has invested in, without specifying the target name.
Image credit: Bloomberg
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