Tag: softbank vision fund

  • Masayoshi Son – The 2nd Richest Man in Japan

    Masayoshi Son is a Japanese Entrepreneur, Investor, and Philanthropist. He founded the Japanese holding company, SoftBank, and serves as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He is the Chairman of the UK-based Arm Holdings. According to Forbes, Masayoshi is the 74th richest man in the World and the second richest man in Japan with a net worth of $44.4 billion.

    Get an insight into the SoftBank and Masayoshi Son Story in the post ahead!

    Masayoshi Son – Biography

    Name Masayoshi Son
    Born 11 August, 1957
    Birthplace Tosu, Saga, Japan
    Age 65 (2022)
    Nationality Japanese
    Citizenship Japan
    Education University of California, Berkeley
    Profession Entrepreneur, Investor, Philanthropist
    Position Founder & CEO, SoftBank
    Net worth $44.4 billion ( 2022)
    Brothers 3
    Marital Status Married
    Spouse Masami Ohno
    Children 2

    Masayoshi Son- Personal Life
    Masayoshi Son- Education
    Masayoshi Son- Professional Life
    Masayoshi Son- SoftBank
    Masayoshi Son- Vision Fund Investments
    Masayoshi Son- Investor
    Masayoshi Son- Arm Holdings
    Masayoshi Son- Philanthropy
    Masayoshi Son – Latest News

    Masayoshi Son- Personal Life

    Masayoshi Son- CEO of Softbank
    Masayoshi Son- CEO of Softbank

    Masayoshi was born in Tosu, Japan. He belongs to “Zainichi Koreans”, ethnic Koreans having permanent residency in Japan. He has three brothers and is the second eldest of the siblings. Taizo Son, his younger brother is the Founder of GunHo Online Entertainment and the venture capital firm Mistletoe.

    At age 16, he moved out from Japan to California for higher studies. He then lived with his friends and family in South San Francisco. He met his wife, Masami Ohno while studying at the university. The couple bears two children. He currently resides with residesmily in Tokyo.

    Masayoshi Son- Education

    Masayoshi went to California and finished high school in just three weeks by taking the necessitated exams at Serramonte High. After that, he pursued a Bachelor of Arts specializing in Economics and also studied Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley.

    He completed his graduation in 1980. He pursued his interest in business before Japan’s McDonald’s president, Den Fujita, and on the advice of the latter, he started studying English and Computer Science.

    Masayoshi Son- Professional Life

    Masayoshi Son and Softbank Story

    At age 19, Masayoshi got besotted by an integrated circuit featured in a magazine and he realized that computer technology would fuel the next commercial revolution.

    While pursuing his studies, he developed an electronic translator that was sold to Sharp Corporation for $ 1.7 million. He earned $ 1.5 million by importing used video games and installing them in dormitories and restaurants.

    After graduating in 1980, he started Unison in Oakland, CA, which was acquired by Kyocera. He is one of the active investors and holds maximum stakes at companies like Yahoo!, and Alibaba through the means of his venture SoftBank.


    David Filo: Co-Founder Of Yahoo! David Filo Story, Net Worth
    If one considers the late nineties and early years of 21stcentury, one giantruled the internet segment—Yahoo!. Be it search engine, online tabloid, financereports, or anything else, Yahoo! was the go-to solution for online needs, apowerful mega web services provider. While the brand may not be as…


    Masayoshi Son- SoftBank

    SoftBank Logo
    SoftBank Logo

    Masayoshi founded SoftBank Group Corporation on 3 September 1981. The company is headquartered in Minato, Tokyo and he serves as its Founder and CEO. He also owns a professional Japanese baseball team, which he named SoftBank Hawks.

    SoftBank is a multinational conglomerate holding venture which holds stakes in many technology, energy, and financial companies. It also runs Vision Fund which is the world’s largest technology-focused venture capital firm, with over $ 100 billion in the capital.

    Masayoshi Son- Vision Fund Investments

    Vision Fund Logo
    Vision Fund Logo

    The $ 100 billion Vision Fund is an investment vehicle that runs for SoftBank. It invests in emerging technologies like, robotics, artificial intelligence, and the internet of things. The company aims to double its portfolio of AI companies to reform real estate, transportation, and retail.

    He makes personal connections with the CEOs of all companies funded by Vision Fund. He plans to raise $100 billion for a new fund. Every few years, he invests about $ 50 billion each year in startups.

    The graph shows some of the investments made by the Vision Fund in its first round
    The graph shows some of the investments made by the Vision Fund in its first round

    In 2020, Vision Fund was recorded to have invested in 88 companies including ride-share companies Grab, Coupang, and Paytm. As of the year 2022, the vision fund has around 475 companies included in its portfolio.

    Masayoshi Son- Investor

    He is an active investor such that his holding company, SoftBank holds 25 % of the Alibaba company. Moreover, his stake in Yahoo! had diminished by 7%. He then established Yahoo! Japan in September 2001, where he holds a controllable interest. He stepped down from the Alibaba board in June 2020.

    Post hyperinflation of SoftBank’s equity, he was strained to pivot towards Yahoo! BB and BB Phone. SoftBank has an accumulated debt of about $1.3 billion to date. Still, Yahoo! BB acquired Japan Telecom, which was then the third-largest broadband and landline provider with 600,00 residential and 170,000 commercial subscribers in the year 2020. Thereafter, Yahoo! BB is Japan’s leading broadband provider.

    Masayoshi Son- Arm Holdings

    Arm Holdings was successfully purchased by SoftBank in 2016 for the amount $ 31.4 billion
    Arm Holdings was successfully purchased by SoftBank in 2016 for the amount $ 31.4 billion

    Masayoshi serves as the Chairman of the US-based software design company, Arm Holdings. In July 2016, there was an announcement that SoftBank is planning to acquire Arm Holdings for $31.4 billion, which would be the largest-ever purchase of a European technology company.

    Arm Holdings was officially acquired by SoftBank in September 2016. The company approved the complete transaction. The total acquisition price counted to $34 billion. Moreover, SoftBank further acquired Sprint Corporation by purchasing 76% of its share.

    Sprint Corporation was acquired by SoftBank by purchasing 76% of shares
    Sprint Corporation was acquired by SoftBank by purchasing 76% of shares

    Masayoshi Son- Philanthropy

    Masayoshi vowed to donate $120 million and his remaining salary until retirement to support victims of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in the year 2011.

    Post devastating effects of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011, he criticized the nuclear industry for creating a problem that worries the Japanese thoroughly. He thus invested in a nationwide solar power network for Japan. It was announced in March 2018 that Masayoshi was investing in the biggest ever solar project.

    Masayoshi Son – Latest News

    11 May 2022- Masayoshi recorded another point but with the loss of about $18.6 billion from Softbank’s Vision Fund Inc in the last quarter of March.

    23 May 2022- Masayoshi Son was reported to meet Indian Prime minister “Narendra Singh Modi”. The meeting was mainly to discuss the role of Softbank in the technology, energy, and finance sector of India and its development.

    30 May 2022- After acquiring the loss, the Softbank firm gets the paycheck compensation cut from its executive employees with no change in the paycheck of the CEO.

    Conclusion

    Masayoshi Son is entitled to the second richest man in Japan and 74th richest man in the world according to the Forbes Rich List. He is also the founder and CEO of Softbank. Masayoshi Son is an industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. Many other important aspects of Masayoshi Son have been shared in the above context.

    FAQs

    Who is the CEO of Softbank?

    Masayoshi Son is the founder and CEO of Softbank.

    How much of SoftBank does Masayoshi Son own?

    Masayoshi Son owns about 21.25% of SoftBank.

    Why is SoftBank called SoftBank?

    The word “Soft” stands for the synonym of the bank. Hence the word “SoftBank” stands for the general idea of having banks of software. And the reason behind using the word bank in the title is to give the general idea of being a key source of infrastructure for the society.

    Who is the richest man in Japan in 2022?

    Tadashi Yanai is the richest man in Japan with a net worth of US$26.1 billion.

    Does SoftBank own ARM?

    ARM was acquired by SoftBank in the year 2016 for a deal of $31.4 billion.

  • Case Study: The Story of SoftBank and its Vision Fund

    SoftBank Group Corp. is a Japanese global conglomerate headquartered in Tokyo. The SoftBank Group has launched SoftBank Vision Fund, the world’s biggest innovation-centered investment finance, with over $100 billion in the capital. In this article, we have discussed SoftBank, Its Vision, Its Stakes Possession, SoftBank Vision Fund, SoftBank’s Vision for India, Its Marketing Strategy, etc.

    SoftBank – About & Vision
    SoftBank – Softbank Vision Fund
    SoftBank – Name, Logo & Tagline
    SoftBank – Marketing Strategy
    SoftBank – Stakes Possession
    SoftBank – Growth
    SoftBank – Yahoo Japan Story
    SoftBank – Vision for India
    SoftBank – FAQ’s
    SoftBank – Conclusion

    SoftBank – About & Vision

    SoftBank Group Corp. is a Japanese global conglomerate headquartered in Tokyo. SoftBank was positioned in the Forbes Global 2000 list as the 36th biggest open organization in the world, and the second biggest organization to be traded in Japan’s open market after Toyota. The organization possesses stakes in top technology companies like Softbank Corporation, Softbank Vision Fund, Arm Holdings, Fortress Investment Group, Sprint, Alibaba, Uber, and many more.

    SoftBank – Softbank Vision Fund

    Softbank Vision Fund is the world’s biggest innovation-centered investment finance, with over $100 billion in the capital. The organization is known for its initiative backed by originator Masayoshi Son. The Fund presently has its fingers in broadband, fixed-line broadcast communications, web-based businesses, innovation administrations, media and advertising, and other domains.

    Softbank Vision Fund

    SoftBank Vision Fund is a subsidiary of the conglomerate Softbank Group. The company is specialized in growth capital and social impact investments that revolve mostly around software companies. Mostly, the funds are invested in latest technology sectors such as IoT, AI, Robotics, Communications Infrastructure, Telecoms, Computational biology, Biotech, Cloud Technologies and Software, Consumer Internet Businesses, FinTech, and Mobile Apps. The Fund is designed in such a way that it’ll be a catalyst for technology progress in anticipation that it will expand SoftBank’s capabilities, accelerating progress towards SoftBank 2.0.

    It also aims to invest in businesses and foundational platforms that SoftBank believes to revolutionize and innovate the world tomorrow.

    SoftBank – Name, Logo & Tagline

    The SoftBank logo derives from Kaientai, a maritime exchanging organization that existed during the end of the Tokugawa shogunate.

    Softbank Corporation Logo

    SoftBank – Marketing Strategy

    The Softbank group uses an effective and smart “4P” marketing strategy to carry out its business across multinational market places. Here’s a description of the 4P model used by SoftBank:

    Products & Services

    SoftBank deals in money, broadband, semiconductor structures, innovative administrations, broadband and what not. Softbank also has prominent wind power plants, sun based power plants, and other energy generation sources. It is a conspicuous player in the residential telecom showcase in Japan which incorporates closeout of mobiles, repaired line telephone utilities, and information correspondence.

    It additionally furnishes benefits in relationship with Yahoo Japan and “IBM Watson”, a cell phone application grown together with IBM Japan. As an internet provider, Softbank offers different choices, for example, web through optical strands. Softbank Air is a popular web information administration service offered by the behemoth. Before the dispatch of iPhone 4s, SoftBank was the main iPhone bearer in Japan.

    How To Create An Best Web Marketing Strategy For Your Startup
    There’s never been a better time for a startup. While many people out there aresaying that the market is saturated, there are too many “fakers,” and that youcan’t make money online, several individuals are out here killing it every day. So, why is it that some people have no trouble making a ton …

    Price

    SoftBank offers a different worth which includes evaluating arrangements to serve its purchasers the best. Softbank has a wide extension to utilize these strategies exceptionally, particularly in the telecom and web advertisement domains where it has different contenders like NTT and AU. Since Softbank faces escalated rivalry from its rivals, its valuing relies on relative market evaluation. Softbank uses packaging techniques to value its administrations higher. This concentrates the vast majority of the purchaser’s excess. It likewise uses worth estimating and has presented worth packs that are charged for the value conveyed.

    Place

    SoftBank works through wholesalers and retailers far-reaching the nation over. Through its wide chain of selective stores in shopping centers and commercial spaces, it draws in a wide range of buyers. Being a multi-year old organization, Softbank has a huge shopper base. It reaches its customers through online store and cell phone applications. Softbank additionally finds certain stores on its site that use staff proficient in English for engaging with its global clients.

    Promotion

    SoftBank has top-notch advancement systems in its advertising mix to connect with buyers, particularly those concerning mobiles. It gives complimentary wireless internet at different bistros and railroad stations to expand its perception and image in the market. It gives enormous accentuation on ads distributed in papers, magazines, online networking, and TV.

    Here are the other Ps to make it the promoting blend of Softbank.

    People

    The Softbank gathering is profoundly reliant on its workers since they are the main impetus of the organization. They have utilized 69154 representatives since 2016. The essential spotlight is on worker commitment. And this in turn ensures client satisfaction. Since the well-being and security of the workers legitimately impact their exhibition, the organization guarantees the equivalent.

    Procedure

    Procedures in Softbank are completed in the most transparent manner. The website helps clients purchase the administrations they are interested in. The point-by-point guidance makes it simpler to perform the purchase procedure. Moreover, client care services assist the client with all sorts of questions and challenges.

    Grofers – Bringing Grocery at Your Home in a few Clicks
    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified informationon different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by the organization it is based on. As we move forward in the world of modernization, we tend to scroll the screensof our mobile pho…

    SoftBank – Stakes Possession

                    SoftBank's Stakes Possession
    
    Company Name Total Shares Hold(in %) Company Name Total Shares Hold (in %)
    Ola 30 Slack Technologies 5
    Renren 42.9 WeWork 80
    InMobi 45 Zhongan Online P & C Insurance 5
    Hike 25.8 Compass 22
    SnapDeal 30 AUTO1 Group 20
    Fanatics 22 Wag 45
    Improbable Worlds 50 Katerra 28
    Paytm 20 Cruise Automation 19.6
    Oyo 42 Ping An Insurance 7.41

    SoftBank – Growth

    SoftBank had a solid beginning to the 2020 budgetary year, accomplishing income increments over the entirety of its portions and including Yahoo Japan as a combined backup to its business. This brought its income to about ¥1.16 trillion.

    The buyer section i.e. the center business of SoftBank, expanded its income to around ¥658 billion, an expansion of over ¥22 billion. The portion’s telecom administration incomes expanded by 6.2% year on year to ¥528 billion. Inside its telecom administration incomes, versatile interchanges income expanded by ¥23 multi-year on year to ¥423 billion, with the addition essentially credited to increments in cell phone supporters and a decline in the month to month limits for its Ultra Giga Monster Plus plan. This plan isolates handset installment and administration charges.

    Softbank’s Growth Over The Years

    SoftBank revealed it had 22.5 million shopper cell phone supporters during Q1 2020 compared to 20.7 million in the same quarter of 2019. Its venture fragment went from winning ¥148 billion to ¥154.5 billion in income year on year. This included versatile income which expanded by 4% to ¥68 billion, fixed-line income which diminished by 6% to nearly ¥49 billion, and other income that expanded by around 24% to ¥37.5 billion.

    The increments in the portable and business arrangements incomes were because of bounces in cell phone endorsers and deals from cloud administrations. Fixed-line incomes diminished because of the unit cost of telephone utilities became cheaper. The endeavor portion’s working pay was ¥28 billion, a 17.7% expansion.

    Delhivery Success Story – The Startup Which Took India by Storm!
    #delhivery #courier #pickup

    SoftBank – Yahoo Japan Story

    Yahoo Japan, the new section that was solidified into SoftBank budgetary outcomes, had its income bounce from ¥226 billion to ¥235 billion, a 3.3% expansion year on year. Of this, trade income expanded by 4.8% year on year to ¥165 billion, media income stayed relentless at around ¥72 billion, and other income diminished by 13% year on year to around ¥1.4 billion.

    The expansion in trade income was predominantly because of an elevation in income-related with an increment in exchange, an incentive in business administrations. While Yahoo Japan’s income expanded over the previous year, its working salary dropped 8% because of ventures geared towards growing its online installments stage.

    The purpose of making Yahoo Japan a solidified backup, SoftBank stated, was to reinforce its association with Yahoo Japan in the making of such new organizations. “The two organizations will upgrade the administration assets designation dependent on a coordinated methodology that empowers them to expand cooperative energies,” it said.

    Its appropriation fragment—which offers items and administrations essentially tending to ICT, cloud administrations, and IoT arrangements—hopped from ¥92 billion to ¥116 billion, up by 26% year on year. This was for the most part due to firm offers of existing items, for example, PCs and servers, notwithstanding an expansion in the number of licenses for cloud administrations. The conveyance section’s working salary was nearly ¥5.3 billion, an expansion of 32% year on year.

    Altogether, SoftBank’s working salary was ¥269 billion, up by 22% from the year-earlier.

    The expansion was fundamental because the Japanese combination was encountering relentless development in its different telecom organizations; the working pay of its telecom organizations over the Consumer, Enterprise, and Distribution sections was expanding by over ¥20 billion altogether. With another solid execution in its Q1 2019 outcomes, the Japanese aggregate proceeds with its upward direction, having expanded its working pay by 81% for FY 2018 contrasted with FY 2017. The gigantic bounce was driven by the SoftBank Vision and Delta Funds which dramatically multiplied the working pay.

    SoftBank likewise declared a second SoftBank Vision Fund a month ago, comprising of $108 billion (¥11.7 trillion) in reserves.

    Snapdeal Company Profile – Catering to 400 million Value-Conscious Indian Consumers!
    How easy have our lives been ever since e-commerce portals came into action! Oneof these, Snapdeal makes online shopping a boom with its coupons and vouchersfor the consumers. Founded by Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal in February 2010, Snapdeal is an Indian e-commerce company based out of New Delhi.…

    SoftBank – Vision for India

    SoftBank Vision reserve was set up in 2017 with an all-out corpus of $100 bn. The majority of this vision reserve was raised from Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. The organization has put around $10B so far in Indian new businesses.

    Softbank’s Vision For India

    SoftBank has seen an 80% year-on-year development in its working pay for FY 2019. The Son-driven organization ascribed this development to an unrealized addition of about $12.5B from its interests in ride-hailing organization Uber, Indian accommodation organization OYO, and other portfolio organizations. In general, its interests in Flipkart and OYO were responsible for an addition of $2.7B, split among acknowledged and unrealized increases.

    The closeout of SoftBank’s offer in the Indian web-based business goliath Flipkart brought about the addition of $1.3Bn for the Japanese organization. Flipkart was purchased by Walmart for $16B in August 2018. OYO’s valuation has expanded to $1.4bn in FY 2019. SoftBank’s other key interests in India include Ola, OYO, Hike, Paytm, FirstCry, Grofers, Delhivery, and Paytm Mall. Not long ago, SoftBank was said to be pondering on the first stock sale of its $100B SoftBank Vision Fund.

    OLA Success Story – Full Form, Story, Founder, Business Model, Funding History, Team, News
    ‘Ola’, the company needs no introduction. The first Indian cab aggregatorcompany, Ola has made availing cab services a smooth experience. Owned by ANITechnologies Pvt. Ltd., and formerly known as OlaCabs, Ola was started in Dec2010 by two IIT Bombay [/mumbai-startups/] graduates. Ola serves as an…

    SoftBank – FAQ’s

    Is SoftBank a bank?

    SoftBank Group Corp. started out in 1981 as a distributor of computer software. As software is called “soft” in Japanese, the name “SoftBank” literally means “a bank of software.”  The word “bank” was chosen based on the company’s grand aspiration to be a key source of infrastructure for the information society.

    Who owns SoftBank?

    SoftBank’s founder and CEO, Masayoshi Son, is the third-richest person in Japan, with a $20.6 billion personal fortune. He owns $45 million worth of real estate in Tokyo as well as a $117.5 million estate in Silicon Valley.

    What is SoftBank Vision Fund?

    Softbank Vision Fund is the world’s biggest innovation-centered investment finance, with over $100 billion in the capital.

    What Marketing Strategy does SoftBank follow?

    The Softbank group uses an effective and smart “4P” marketing strategy to carry out its business across multinational market places.

    SoftBank – Conclusion

    SoftBank Vision Fund is a part of the multi-national conglomerate Softbank Group. The company is specialized in growth capital and social impact investments that revolve mostly around software companies. It also aims to invest in businesses and foundational platforms that SoftBank believes to revolutionize and innovate the world tomorrow.