As everyone knows, SoftBank is possibly the most influential entity in the world when it comes to investing large sums of money on promising startups all over the world. The company has invested billions in some of the most valuable in the world and it did so through its $100 billion investment fund known as the Vision Fund. Some of its investments include Uber and WeWork, among others. However, after the success of its Vision Fund, SoftBank has decided to launch a new fund that is to be known as Vision Fund 2 and this time, it will allow its employees to buy stocks in the same. Since the launch of the Vision Fund 2 is a move to ensure that there is a larger spread of investors, it is, without a doubt an excellent move.
SoftBank is determined to bring its employees into the fold and to that end, it is all set to lend $20 billion to the employees so that they can buy stakes. According to reports, Vision Fund 2 is going to raise an astonishing $108 billion before it opens for business. However, it is not surprising considering the success that has been enjoyed by the original Vision Fund, and it is only natural that many other investors have lined up to buy a stake in the new fund. In addition to the employees at SoftBank, other big-ticket investors in the fund include Foxconn, Microsoft Corporation, and Apple, among others. In addition to that, the sovereign wealth fund of Kazakhstan is also going to buy a stake in this fund.
SoftBank is going to contribute $38 billion towards the fund on its own and out of money to be raised through employees, more than 50% is going to come from Masayoshi Son, the charismatic Chief Executive Officer and Founder of the company. Earlier on in August, the organization had published its financial results for the quarter and its Vision Fund investments generated bigger gains in terms of valuation than what had been estimated by analysts. At this point, the Vision Fund has as many as 81 investments in its books and the holding is currently worth $66.3 billion. Vision Fund 2 could see a range of new investments in a wide range of startups across the world.
