SoftBank Group: News
Lenskart eyes valuation of over $8B in upcoming IPO
SoftBank-backed eyewear start-up Lenskart has filed with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) to raise ₹2,150 crore via a fresh issue of shares.
SoftBank-backed travel platform Klook might raise $500M via IPO
Klook, a leading travel and leisure booking platform, is said to be considering an initial public offering (IPO) in the United States.
SoftBank founder plans $1,000B AI and robotics complex in Arizona
SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son is planning a $1 trillion industrial complex in Arizona, according to Bloomberg.
SoftBank founder has proposed new US-Japan sovereign wealth fund
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has proposed a joint sovereign wealth fund (SWF) between the United States and Japan.
SoftBank-backed Juspay raises $60M to accelerate AI development
Bengaluru-based payment technology company, Juspay, has successfully raised $60 million in its Series D funding round.
SoftBank buys chip designing start-up Ampere for $6.5B
In a deal worth $6.5 billion, SoftBank Group has acquired Ampere Computing, a US-based start-up famous for its ARM-based server chips. It was established in 2017.
SoftBank pours $670M to convert factory into AI data center
Japanese multinational investment firm, SoftBank, has confirmed its plans to invest $672 million in a former Sharp factory.
SoftBank reports $2.4B loss in Q3 amid huge AI investments
SoftBank Group has reported a massive third-quarter loss of ¥369.165 billion (nearly $2.4 billion) for the fiscal year 2024.
OpenAI, SoftBank partner to offer custom AI services to corporates
OpenAI and SoftBank Group have announced a strategic partnership to create and market an innovative enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) system, "Cristal intelligence."
SoftBank in talks to invest $25B in OpenAI
Japanese multinational conglomerate, SoftBank, is said to be in advanced talks to invest as much as $25 billion in OpenAI.
Sam Altman reveals first site of $500B Stargate AI project
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has revealed the first site for the ambitious $500 billion 'Stargate Project' in Texas.
SoftBank CEO to announce $100B US investment, 100,000 AI-focused jobs
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son is all set to announce a mammoth $100 billion investment in the United States.
Paytm to sell stake in PayPay to SoftBank for $250M
One97 Communications, the parent company of Indian fintech giant Paytm, is close to finalizing a deal to sell its stake in Japan's digital payments firm, PayPay Corporation.
NVIDIA, SoftBank introduce world's first combined AI and 5G network
In a major development, leading chipmaker NVIDIA has partnered with SoftBank to introduce the world's first artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G telecommunications network.
SoftBank's supercomputer bags priority access to NVIDIA's new-gen AI chips
SoftBank has bagged a priority position in the queue for NVIDIA's new-generation Blackwell AI chips, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang has confirmed.
SoftBank Vision Fund's co-CEO Rajeev Misra to leave the company
Rajeev Misra, the co-CEO of SoftBank's Vision Fund, is resigning from his leadership roles at the company's flagship technology investment vehicles.
SoftBank set to book $1.87B profit thanks to IPOs
Japanese technology investor, SoftBank Group, is expected to announce a quarterly profit of ¥287 billion ($1.87 billion) today.
SoftBank plans $500 million investment in ChatGPT creator OpenAI
SoftBank's Vision Fund is planning to drop a hefty $500 million into OpenAI, as per a report by The Information.
SoftBank-backed B2B e-commerce platform eyes $1B IPO in India
OfBusiness, an Indian B2B e-commerce platform supported by SoftBank Group, is preparing for a potential initial public offering (IPO) in the country.
SoftBank ends AI chip collaboration with Intel, turns to TSMC
SoftBank has terminated its partnership with Intel, initially aimed at creating an artificial intelligence (AI) chip.
SoftBank shares plunge 19%, Masayoshi Son's wealth shrinks by $4.6B
SoftBank Group shares took a nosedive of nearly 19% on Monday, resulting in a significant reduction in founder Masayoshi Son's net worth.
SoftBank cuts ties with Paytm, sells remaining 1.4% stake
Japan's SoftBank has fully divested from One97 Communications, the parent company of fintech giant Paytm.
SoftBank to invest $10-20M in Perplexity AI at $3B valuation
SoftBank Group's Vision Fund 2 is preparing to invest in US-based artificial intelligence startup, Perplexity AI.
SoftBank's Masayoshi Son pushes for development of artificial super intelligence
Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank Group, has revealed his ambitious vision for the future of the company.
SoftBank forges strategic alliance with AI search engine Perplexity
SoftBank, the multinational conglomerate, has announced a strategic alliance with Perplexity, an AI search engine aiming to compete with Google.
OYO eyes ₹1,000 crore fundraise in significant down round
OYO, a leading Indian hospitality startup, is currently in advanced discussions to raise approximately ₹1,000 crore ($120 million).
SoftBank's shares surge amid Arm Holdings's AI chip plans
SoftBank Group's stock experienced a 1.89% increase, reaching 8,026 yen ahead of its earnings report.
UK startup secures record $1B funding to expand self-driving tech
Wayve, a UK-based startup specializing in self-driving technology, has successfully raised $1.05 billion in a Series C funding round.
SoftBank reduces stake in crisis-hit Paytm to less than 3%
SoftBank has reduced its stake in Paytm, now holding only 2.83% compared to 5.01% previously, as reported in a recent exchange filing.
What is 'Izanagi', SoftBank founder Son's new $100B AI venture
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son is working on a massive $100 billion project to develop a new artificial intelligence (AI) chip unit, called 'Izanagi.'
SoftBank fully exits PolicyBazaar parent, bags a profit of 225%
SoftBank has made a whopping $650 million (approximately Rs. 5,400 crore) in returns after fully exiting PB Fintech, the parent company of insurance marketplace PolicyBazaar.
SoftBank to resume investing in Indian start-ups this year
SoftBank is gearing up to invest in Indian start-ups once more after an 18-month hiatus, according to Sumer Juneja, Head of India and EMEA at SoftBank Investment Advisers.
Who is Nikesh Arora, IIT-graduate who just became a billionaire
Nikesh Arora, the CEO of cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks, has entered the billionaires' club after a hefty paycheck he received from the firm.
Meesho's FY23 revenue rises 77%, losses shrink by half
Meesho, an affordable e-commerce platform, has seen a 77% surge in revenue from operations, hitting Rs. 5,735 crore in FY23 compared to Rs. 3,232 crore in FY22.
SoftBank-backed FirstCry, Ola Electric to file IPO papers by December-end
Ola Electric and FirstCry, both backed by SoftBank, will submit their draft IPO papers to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) by next week, as per Moneycontrol.
SoftBank may sell Zomato shares worth Rs. 1,125 crore
SoftBank plans to sell around 1.1% of its stake in the food delivery giant Zomato, amounting to approximately $135 million (Rs. 1,125 crore) through a block deal, as per Bloomberg.
SoftBank reports $5.2bn loss in Q3, 4th straight red quarter
SoftBank Group has posted a $5.2 billion net loss for the quarter ending September, marking its fourth straight quarter in the red.
SoftBank raises $799 million in Japan's first bond-type stock listing
SoftBank Group has raised 120 billion yen (around $799 million) in Japan's inaugural bond-type share listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
SoftBank likely offloads Zomato shares worth Rs. 1,040cr
On October 20, online food delivery titan Zomato saw its shares climb over 2.5%, hitting the day's high of Rs. 114.50 apiece on NSE.
SoftBank trims stake in PolicyBazaar parent PB Fintech by 2.5%
Japanese investment holding company SoftBank has sold an additional 2.54% stake, or 11.4 million shares, in PolicyBazaar's parent company, PB Fintech Ltd., through a bulk deal. These shares were sold at a price of Rs. 762.8 each.
AI to surpass human intelligence within 10 years: SoftBank CEO
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son has predicted that artificial general intelligence (AGI), which can beat human intelligence in almost all areas, will be achieved within 10 years.
Jony Ive, OpenAI, SoftBank working on 'iPhone of AI'
Apple's former design chief Jony Ive's company, LoveFrom, SoftBank, and OpenAI are in talks to create an AI-powered hardware device that could revolutionize how we interact with artificial intelligence (AI), much like how the iPhone transformed the smartphone industry.
SoftBank's Arm hits $54.5 billion valuation in 2023's biggest IPO
Chip designer Arm Holdings has achieved a $54.5 billion valuation in its initial public offering (IPO) in the US, making it the biggest IPO of 2023.
SoftBank-owned Arm Holdings pursues record-breaking IPO in 2023
SoftBank-owned UK-based chip company Arm Holdings has filed for a NASDAQ listing, with ambitions to achieve the largest US IPO of 2023.
SoftBank posts unexpected $3.3bn loss; Vision Fund unit records profit
SoftBank's Vision Fund investment arm reported a gain of just over $1 billion in the June quarter, marking a return to profitability after five quarters.
'I am a heavy user of ChatGPT': SoftBank's Masayoshi Son
Masayoshi Son, the CEO of SoftBank Group, has been away from the public eye for a while. In November last year, he stepped away from leading earnings calls and day-to-day activities of the investment firm.
GoMechanic fires 70% of its workforce; financial books under scanner
Automobile after-sales service start-up GoMechanic has fired roughly 70% of its workforce or around 500 employees.
SoftBank's investment in India falls 84% to $500mn in 2022
SoftBank Group has been a major contributor to the growth of India's tech start-up scene. The company has, however, cut its investments in the country by a whopping 84% year-over-year in 2022.
Who is Vishal Garg, who fired 900 employees over Zoom?
Vishal Garg is all over the internet.
Soon, Boston Dynamics will announce new robots for logistics
Boston Dynamics, the SoftBank-owned company that has made headlines for its mind-boggling robots, is set to unveil new machines pretty soon.
NewsBytes Briefing: TikTok US partners with Oracle, and more
Last night, multiple outlets reported that Chinese giant ByteDance has rejected Microsoft's purchase bid for TikTok and chosen Oracle as its 'technology partner' in the US.
NewsBytes Briefing: SoftBank considering bidders for TikTok India, and more
In another twist to the saga, SoftBank is reportedly working to broker a deal for TikTok India.
Ed-tech start-up Unacademy raises $150 million, joins elite unicorn club
Bengaluru-based ed-tech start-up Unacademy has joined the elite unicorn club of India.
Singapore deploys 'robo-dog' to make sure people observe social distancing
The spread of COVID-19 has made human-to-human interaction a risky affair.
After UberEats, Zomato is eyeing to buy Grofers
A few months after acquiring UberEats, Zomato is looking to buy popular e-grocery start-up Grofers.
Boston Dynamics' robo-dog turns into a rickshaw puller
Boston Dynamics' Spot robo-dog has been in the news for plenty of reasons, be it teaming up with a bomb squad or working to detect leaks at an oil rig.
WeWork appoints real estate veteran Sandeep Mathrani as CEO
WeWork, the American start-up that provides shared workspaces, has appointed real estate veteran Sandeep Mathrani as its new CEO.
Lenskart raises $231 million, enters the elite unicorn club
Lenskart, a Faridabad-based start-up providing a platform to buy eyewear online, has reportedly raised $231 million in a Series G round of funding led by Japanese conglomerate SoftBank.
Paytm raises another $669.5 million from existing investors
Just a couple of weeks after raising a whopping $1 billion, One97 Communications, the parent of digital payments giant Paytm, has raised $669.5 million (roughly Rs. 4,724 crore) in another round of funding.
T-Mobile's John Legere could be WeWork's next CEO
From an imploded IPO to allegations of sexism, unprofessional culture and layoffs, WeWork has faced a lot of flak lately.
Insurance aggregator Policybazaar raises $150 million from Tencent
Insurance aggregator company Policybazaar, which compares financial services from major insurance companies for instant purchases, has raised $150 million in a funding round led by Tencent Holdings Ltd.
True Balance raises $23 million from Korean investors
Fintech start-up True Balance has received $23 million in Series C round of funding.
OYO raising $1.5 billion from founder Ritesh Agarwal, SoftBank, others
In a major development, India's second most valuable start-up, OYO Hotels & Homes, has confirmed its plan to raise $1.5 billion in fresh funding.
SoftBank just launched $108 billion megafund for AI development
In a major move, SoftBank Group has announced a humongous megafund for the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI).
Soon, this 'robot-dog' from Boston Dynamics will go on sale
Boston Dynamics' robots can do some insane stuff, including things like backflips, parkour, even warehouse jobs.
Reliance Jio to launch WeChat-like Super App with 100+ services
Reliance Jio is working to launch a Super App which will provide over 100 services under one platform, according to a Business Standard report.
Watch: Boston Dynamics' army of 'robo-dogs' hauls a real truck
SoftBank-owned robotics giant Boston Dynamics has long been showing off capabilities of its machines in some hilarious, sometimes even creepy, videos.
This dino-like robot can do warehouse jobs better than you
From Atlas to SpotMini, Boston Dynamics' 'robotic children' are known to leave a mark with their impeccable skills.
MIT's scary 'Mini Cheetah' robot can do backflips, resist kicks
In a major development, researchers at MIT have unveiled 'Mini Cheetah', a smaller counterpart of their four-legged Cheetah robot.
Ola reportedly receives funding from Sachin Bansal, nears $6bn valuation
Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal has reportedly invested $21 million (approx Rs. 150 crore) in Ola, India's famous ride-hailing company.
This billion-dollar start-up is using robots to make, deliver pizza
In early November, California-based food start-up Zume raised $375mn from SoftBank, taking its valuation past $1bn.
This terrifying robot by Boston Dynamics can now chase you
Boston Dynamics' super robot Atlas is back. And, this time it's not just strolling or doing backflips, but also leaping over obstacles like a real commando.
Reportedly, Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal to invest $100mn in Ola
In what could mark the largest personal investment in the Indian internet space, Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal is reportedly in the process of finalizing a whopping $100mn (around Rs. 740cr) investment in ride-hailing start-up Ola Cabs.
BSNL pens deal with Softbank, NTT Communications for 5G roll-out
BSNL has penned a deal with Japan's Softbank and NTT Communications to roll out 5G and internet-of-things (IoT) technologies in India.
OYO looking to raise $1bn, valuation might cross $4bn
It seems that budget hotel network OYO Rooms is getting ready for yet another round of funding, and is reportedly looking to raise an amount between $500mn to $1bn.
Saudi Arabia's King Salman begins vacation in $500bn, unbuilt mega-city
According to state media reports, Saudi Arabia's King Salman is taking a holiday in the as-yet-unbuilt $500bn futuristic mega-city, NEOM, that his son, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, has pledged to build from scratch.