SoftBank chairman Masayoshi Son has repeatedly described the Vision Fund as a club for the world’s most exciting startups and, while even the fund’s own LP seem to disagree with some of its investment thesis, its portfolio companies do frequently come together. The latest Vision Fund partnership pairs two e-commerce firms in opposite corners of […]
View More Vision Fund startups Fanatics and Coupang unite to sell US sports merch in KoreaCategory: Softbank
SoftBank’s Vision Fund invests $1.5B in Chinese second-hand car startup Chehaoduo
SoftBank’s Vision Fund is taking a bet on China’s auto market after it agreed to pour $1.5 billion into online car trading group Chehaoduo, which literally means “many cars” in Chinese. The Beijing-based company operates two main sites — peer-to-peer online marketplace Guazi for used vehicles, and Maodou, which retails new sedans through direct sales […]
View More SoftBank’s Vision Fund invests $1.5B in Chinese second-hand car startup ChehaoduoGo-Jek’s Get app officially launches in Thailand as Southeast Asia expansion continues
Go-Jek is extending its reach in Southeast Asia after its Thailand-based unit made its official launch, which included the addition of a new food delivery service. Get, which is the name for Go-Jek business in Thailand, started out last year offering motorbike taxi on-demand services to a limited part of Thai capital city Bangkok, now […]
View More Go-Jek’s Get app officially launches in Thailand as Southeast Asia expansion continuesWatch OneWeb’s first six global internet satellites launch today
After four years and more than $2 billion in funding, OneWeb is ready to launch the first six satellites out of a planned constellation of 650 with which it plans to blanket the world in broadband. The Arianespace-operated Soyuz rocket will take off at 1:37 Pacific time from Guiana Space Center.
View More Watch OneWeb’s first six global internet satellites launch todayAn insider’s peek at TC Sessions: Robotics & AI
We are not quite ready to announce the agenda for TechCunch’s April 18 robotics and AI show at UC Berkeley, but anyone who has been watching the speaker announcements is bound to be just a bit excited. Here’s a quick sneak peek at the soon-to-be-announced agenda. Robotics & AI investor panel For founders eager to […]
View More An insider’s peek at TC Sessions: Robotics & AILogistics startup Flexport just raised a Softbank-led round at a whopping $3.2 billion valuation
Flexport, a 5.5-year-old, San Francisco-based full-service air and ocean freight forwarder, says it has raised $1 billion in fresh funding led by the SoftBank Vision Fund. Earlier backers of the company, including Founders Fund, DST Global, Cherubic Ventures, Susa Ventures and SF Express, all participated in the round, which reportedly pegs the company’s post-money valuation […]
View More Logistics startup Flexport just raised a Softbank-led round at a whopping $3.2 billion valuationClutter confirms SoftBank-led $200M investment for its on-demand storage service
There’s plenty of speculation right now around apparently disgruntled investors in SoftBank’s Vision Fund, but the drum continues to beat and the checks continue to be written. The latest deal for the $100 billion mega-fund is Clutter, an on-demand storage company that pulled in $200 million in new financing for growth. Eagled-eyed viewers will recall that […]
View More Clutter confirms SoftBank-led $200M investment for its on-demand storage serviceWhy can’t we build anything?
Last week, California governor Gavin Newsom announced that he was intending to aggressively scale back plans for the state’s high-speed rail system, which in its most ambitious routing would have connected Sacramento to San Diego. The immediate cause was ballooning costs, which have risen from $33 billion to $77 billion and looked likely to exceed […]
View More Why can’t we build anything?SoftBank and Mubadala grow closer
The Japanese conglomerate SoftBank and Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi state investment company, have a closely intertwined relationship, and it’s one that the two are further cementing. According to the Financial Times, SoftBank has just committed half the capital for a new $400 million fund from Mubadala that aims to back European startups. Industry observers might […]
View More SoftBank and Mubadala grow closerStartups Weekly: Is Y Combinator’s latest cohort too big?
Plus, e-scooter subscription services are a thing now, the Vision Fund is betting big on autonomous delivery and Facebook almost bought Unity.
View More Startups Weekly: Is Y Combinator’s latest cohort too big?Urban unicorn renewal
Three cities, three dead urban unicorn renewal projects. In just the past few days, we’ve had Foxconn renege on Wisconsin, Amazon renege on NYC, and GE renege on Boston. Each followed the Anna Karenina principle that every unhappy economic development deal is unhappy in its own way: for Foxconn, it was trade tariffs and slowing […]
View More Urban unicorn renewalE-commerce startup Zilingo raises $226M to digitize Asia’s fashion supply chain
If you’re looking for the next unicorn in Southeast Asia, Zilingo might just be it. The 3.5-year-old e-commerce company announced today that it has raised a Series D round worth $226 million to go after the opportunity to digitize Asia’s fashion supply chain. This new round takes Zilingo to $308 million from investors since its […]
View More E-commerce startup Zilingo raises $226M to digitize Asia’s fashion supply chain