Vision Fund 2 Splashes out $13bn

 

SoftBank secured Fund of $13bn poured into more than 30 countries during the second quarter. During the first three months of the year the fund invested $2bn in two dozen companies according to public disclosures.

With the second Vision Fund the Japanese company slightly altered its approach – instead placing more modest bets on health care and software businesses rather than multi-billion dollar investment in urban mobility and heavy industry, as its recent investments include video call start-up Mmhmm and AI company Vianai Systems.

Senior managing partner Deep Nishar at Vision Fund in the US, said “ In the current market environment, the valuation are more attractive in the earlier stages of a company ‘s life cycle compared to the very late stage.”

The company originally wanted to raise as much as $108bn, having failed to raised capital SoftBank’s CEO has committed $30bn of its own capital to the new fund. The new fund has so far invested about $20bn in more than 90 start-ups and has plans for investments in at least another 30. SoftBank’s first Vision Fund invested $85.7bn in under 100 companies, but consumer goods start-up Brandless and dog walking app Wag both ran into trouble after receiving large investments.