SoftBank Group is a multinational telecommunications and internet corporation based in Japan. It operates through four segments: mobile communications, Sprint, fixed-line telecommunications, and internet. The company provides a wide range of services, including mobile and fixed-line voice and data transmission services, broadband services, internet advertising, e-commerce, and digital television. SoftBank Group also invests in various technologies through its venture capital arms, such as SoftBank Investment Advisers and SoftBank Vision Fund, focusing on areas like artificial intelligence, robotics, and the Internet of Things. One of its notable subsidiaries, SoftBank Robotics, designs and manufactures humanoid robots for various applications, including education, healthcare, and business.
1-9-1 Higashi-shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-7317, Japan
Karim Abouzahr
Director, SoftBank Europe Ventures
Praveen Akkiraju
Managing Partner, Americas, Asia
Kristin Bannon
Investment Director, SoftBank Investment Advisers
Jonathan Bullock
COO and Managing Director
John Cassidy
Investment Director, Life Sciences and HealthTech
Tom Cheung
Partner, Americas
Rodrigo Costa
Partner
Serena Dayal
Partner, Americas
Angela Du
Partner, Americas
Colin Fan
Managing Partner, SoftBank Investment Advisers
Ted Fike
Director, Americas
Ronald Fisher
Vice Chairman
Navneet Govil
Managing Partner, CFO
Ayush Jain
Investment Vice President
Lydia Jett
Partner
Sumer Juneja
Managing Partner and Head of EMEA and India Investing
Robert Kaplan
Investment Director
Chris Lee
Partner, Asia
Anna Lo
Director, Americas
Amit Lubovsky
Investor
Jimi Macdonald
Director
Kentaro Matsui
Managing Partner, Asia
Ken Miyauchi
Representative Director and Senior Executive Vice President
Greg Moon
Executive Managing Partner
Akshay Naheta
Partner, EMEA
Gowri Narayanan
Partner, FinTech
Karol Niewiadomski
Partner
Shu Nyatta
Managing Partner
Max Ohrstrand
Partner, EMEA
Vikas Parekh
Managing Partner, Americas
Ben Parton
Director of Deals and Transactions
Yanni Pipilis
Managing Partner
Narendra Rathi
Director, Asia
Brett Rochkind
Managing Partner
Masayoshi Son
Founder
Ram Trichur
Partner
Ervin Tu
Partner, Americas
Aaron Wong
Vice President
Kenichi Yoshida
Chief Business Officer and Executive Vice President
Linda Yu
Vice President, Vision Fund
Andrew Zloto
Investment Director
Tim Yap
Director, EMEA
Past deals in Search Engine
Perplexity
Series D in 2024
Perplexity is an artificial intelligence-based search engine platform that combines large language models with traditional search engines. It leverages natural language processing and generative AI technologies to deliver conversational responses to user queries, aiming to enhance the search experience beyond standard results. The platform is designed to facilitate the development of safe and beneficial artificial general intelligence, offering an open-source environment accessible to the public. This allows clients to acquire skills and knowledge in software development, positioning Perplexity as a bridge between conventional search capabilities and advanced AI-driven assistance.
Glean
Series E in 2024
Glean develops AI-based search engine software that facilitates access to enterprise data, enabling employees to efficiently find information and generate answers. Its primary product, Workplace Search, serves as an enterprise search platform that integrates with various internal data sources, allowing users to obtain relevant search results from multiple applications based on specific keywords. By employing advanced search techniques, retrieval augmented generation, and large language models, Glean's platform delivers personalized answers that are contextually grounded, enhancing productivity and information retrieval within organizations.
Quixey
Series C in 2015
Quixey, Inc. is a mobile technology company based in Mountain View, California, with additional offices in Beijing, Bengaluru, and Tel Aviv. Founded in 2009, Quixey operates a platform that enhances user access and engagement with applications through its innovative Deep View Cards. This solution connects users directly to app functionalities, enabling quick actions such as booking a hotel or ordering a ride without the need for user registration. By employing content acquisition techniques and application mining technology, Quixey effectively delivers relevant app content through various channels, including ads, search, and social messaging platforms. The company's offerings cater to both users and leading mobile brands, streamlining the process of finding and utilizing application features in a visually engaging manner.
Wandoujia
Series B in 2014
Wandoujia is a prominent mobile entertainment search engine based in Beijing, China, that significantly influences the mobile internet landscape. Established in 2010, the platform has been installed over 350 million times, with daily new installations surpassing 800,000. Wandoujia's extensive search index encompasses over one million options across various content categories, including apps, videos, ebooks, wallpapers, music, and themes, sourced from more than 130 content providers. The company has pioneered mobile search products that enhance user discovery and consumption of content. Additionally, Wandoujia has formed successful international partnerships that facilitate the entry of foreign applications into the Chinese market, collaborating with well-known developers such as Flipboard and Evernote. The company also publishes a monthly report titled "The Mobile Search Index," which highlights trends in mobile search within China. With a dedicated team of over 250 employees, Wandoujia continues to innovate in the realm of mobile applications and distribution.
Moat
Series B in 2012
Moat, Inc. develops analytics solutions tailored for brand advertisers and publishers, focusing on measuring customer attention and advertising effectiveness. Its flagship product, Moat Analytics, serves as an attention measurement platform that offers insights into ad campaigns and website inventory. Additionally, Moat Pro provides real-time ad intelligence, allowing users to visualize relationships between brands, publishers, and programmatic platforms, while offering brand alerts and prospecting reports. Moat also features a dedicated ad search engine that enables users to search for display ads, discover new advertisers, and access creative resources. This centralized ad search utilizes a specialized web crawler to index ads for easy retrieval. Established in 2007 and based in New York, Moat operates internationally and is a subsidiary of Oracle Corporation.
Wandoujia
Series A in 2011
Wandoujia is a prominent mobile entertainment search engine based in Beijing, China, that significantly influences the mobile internet landscape. Established in 2010, the platform has been installed over 350 million times, with daily new installations surpassing 800,000. Wandoujia's extensive search index encompasses over one million options across various content categories, including apps, videos, ebooks, wallpapers, music, and themes, sourced from more than 130 content providers. The company has pioneered mobile search products that enhance user discovery and consumption of content. Additionally, Wandoujia has formed successful international partnerships that facilitate the entry of foreign applications into the Chinese market, collaborating with well-known developers such as Flipboard and Evernote. The company also publishes a monthly report titled "The Mobile Search Index," which highlights trends in mobile search within China. With a dedicated team of over 250 employees, Wandoujia continues to innovate in the realm of mobile applications and distribution.
Insider Pages
Series A in 2006
Insider Pages, based in San Francisco, California, is a platform that enables users to read and post reviews about local services that are significant to parents and homeowners, such as healthcare providers, contractors, and educational institutions. Launched in 2004, the site features a comprehensive Doctor Finder tool, which allows users to search for medical professionals based on various criteria, including specialty, insurance accepted, patient ratings, and experience. Insider Pages has amassed over 2 million consumer reviews and provides detailed profiles on more than 900,000 doctors and dentists, enhancing the search experience for patients. The platform aims to facilitate informed decisions by leveraging community recommendations. Over the years, Insider Pages has faced challenges, including significant layoffs in 2007, but it continues to serve as a valuable resource for finding trusted local businesses.
SINA Corporation
Series C in 1999
SINA is an online media company based in the People's Republic of China, serving both domestic and global Chinese communities. It operates a network of localized websites, with its primary platforms being SINA.com for news and content, Weibo.com for microblogging, and SINA Mobile for mobile value-added services. The company offers a diverse range of services, including online portals, microblogging, video and music streaming, photo sharing, online gaming, email, search, classified listings, and e-commerce. SINA primarily generates revenue through online advertising and mobile services, supplemented by fee-based offerings. It aims to be a leading media platform for information retrieval, opinion sharing, and social networking, while also assisting businesses in marketing their products. The company's targeted content across its various websites is designed to enhance user engagement and expand its audience within the Chinese online community.
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