During quarterly earnings call earlier this month, Yoshimitsu Goto, CFO of Japan’s SoftBank Group, shared the company’s updated investment strategy. After two years in “defensive mode,” SoftBank, one of the world’s leading tech investors, is now set to increase its investment activity. The focus remains on artificial intelligence (AI), as it has been for the past four quarters.
SoftBank’s recent $500 million investment in OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, highlights its continued commitment to AI. Additionally, the company has reportedly invested in Perplexity, a US-based AI firm valued at $3 billion. However, in India, SoftBank is adopting a different strategy.
While SoftBank is in talks to lead a $100-120 million funding round in Addverb, an Indian warehouse automation robotics company, its involvement in India’s AI and deep tech sectors has been limited. After pausing new investments in India—the company’s third-largest market—for the past 30 months, SoftBank is now preparing to resume investments with a renewed approach.