SFTBY - SoftBank Vision Fund 2 accelerates its AI startup investments after rocky start

In 2017, SoftBank ([[SFTBF]],[[SFTBY]]) launched its Vision Fund, a massive $100B tech investment fund that received half of its funding from contributors like Apple, Qualcomm, and the Public Investment Fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Vision Fund was a VC darling and in 2019 SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son announced plans for a $108B Vision Fund 2. SoftBank pledged $38B to the new fund and touted Apple, Microsoft, and Foxconn as potential outside investors. But SoftBank struggled to find outside investors for the AI-focused Vision Fund 2 due to the fund's chaotic management and SoftBank's growing problems, including losses on its WeWork and Uber investments and pressure from activist investor Elliott Management. Vision Fund 2 launched but only with some funding from SoftBank. By November 2020, SVF2 had invested $2.6B in 13 companies and Son acknowledged that the fund "was not that popular" with outside investors. But SoftBank's fortunes

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SoftBank Vision Fund 2 accelerates its AI startup investments after rocky start