SoftBank Capital is a
venture capital
Venture capital (often abbreviated as VC) is a form of private equity financing that is provided by venture capital firms or funds to start-up company, startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that have been deemed to have high growth poten ...
group in the United States, focusing on technology and telecom early stage businesses. It was founded by
SoftBank
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo which focuses on investment management. The Group primarily invests in companies operating in technology, energy, and financial sectors. It also runs the ...
.
Since 2015
[ it does not actively make investments, but it continues to oversee its prior portfolio.][
]
History
The investment branch of the Japanese telecom company, SoftBank
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo which focuses on investment management. The Group primarily invests in companies operating in technology, energy, and financial sectors. It also runs the ...
Corp.,[ the SoftBank Capital firm was established and initially led by four partners: Ron Fisher, ]Eric Hippeau
Eric Hippeau is a partner at Lerer Hippeau Ventures in New York City.
Early life and education
Hippeau graduated from the Lycee Francais de Londres and attended the Sorbonne University in Paris.
Career
Hippeau joined Ziff-Davis in 1989 as pub ...
, Steve Murray, and Michael Perlis. The company is a member of National Venture Capital Association.
In November 2011, Mike Perlis stepped down as general partner at SoftBank Capital to become CEO of Forbes Media
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
.
In 2013, it created a $250 million growth fund for companies such as Alibaba and MediaTek
MediaTek Inc. () is a Taiwanese fabless semiconductor company that provides chips for wireless communications, high-definition television, handheld mobile devices like smartphones and tablet computers, navigation systems, consumer multimedia ...
.
SoftBank Capital was closed by SoftBank in 2015. Although not making active investments, as of late 2017 it continued to oversee its prior portfolio.
See also
*List of venture capital firms
Below is a list of notable venture capital firms.
Assets under management
Shown below are the largest venture capital firms ranked by Assets Under Management.
Capital raised
Data is for capital raised between January 1, 2017, and June 30, 2022. ...
* Private equity in the 2000s
References
Financial services companies established in 1995
Private equity firms of the United States
Privately held companies based in Massachusetts
SoftBank Group
Venture capital firms of the United States
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