In the ever-evolving landscape of technology and innovation, a few notable entities hold the industry and have as much influence and intrigue as SoftBank Group Corp. SoftBank’s visionary founder Masayoshi Son has made big bets on emerging technologies, which have often been unconventional but bold. From artificial intelligence to e-commerce, in the portfolio of Softbank, you can find some of the most influential and groundbreaking companies we have today. As we will discover, by reviewing SoftBank’s leading investments, it is evident that this conglomerate continues to shape the future profoundly. Here are some of the leading investments backed by SoftBank Group Corp.
Nuro: Since 2016, Nuro has received significant investment from Softbank; this autonomous delivery start-up was founded by two ex-self-driving car project engineers at Google Dave Ferguson and Jiajun Zhu, and focuses on AI-led businesses and growth stage companies in India and other parts of the world. SoftBank, with other investors, found Nuro to be an attractive investment due to its self-driving technology, having the potential to revolutionize local commerce and improve daily living. In 2019, SoftBank Group Corp. invested $940 million in Nuro’s Series C funding round led by T. Rowe Price Associates, which enabled it to outpace others commercializing autonomous vehicle technologies.
Engineer.ai Led By Sachin Dev Duggal (now Builder.ai): In the Series A funding round for Engineer.ai, Softbank invested $29.5M in this company. Lakestar Ventures and Jungle Ventures led this round with participation from DeepCore (SoftBank). With Builder.ai, anyone can create software solutions without coding knowledge. The goal of Sachin Dev Duggal's Builder.ai (previously known as Engineer.ai) is to democratize software development by eliminating barriers related to extensive coding and allowing everyone to enliven their idea.
Alibaba Group: SoftBank’s investment in Alibaba Group, in 2000 is often described as one of the most profitable and strategic tech investment moves in history. Today, Alibaba is a global powerhouse that dominates the Chinese e-commerce market and has expanded across various industries- cloud computing, digital entertainment, and finance. With 34% equity ownership of Alibaba, SoftBank has not only secured remarkable financial returns; but also strengthened its position within the global tech ecosystem.