.jpg){kind=avatar}
The fund, which is expected to be up to $100b, is an ambitious project by Softbank's founder to expand the company's effort worldwide.
The company has had success in investing in companies rather than buying them outright. Its signature investment was its early backing of the Alibaba Group, well before that company became a colossus of Chinese e-commerce and internet businesses. In July, SoftBank agreed to buy ARM, the British chip designer whose products underpin goods as varied as iPhones and drones, for $32 billion. It has also been a prolific investor in budding technology companies, from the Chinese ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing to the bioengineering start-up Zymergen. “With the establishment of the SoftBank Vision Fund, we will be able to step up investments in technology companies globally,” Mr. Son said in a statement. “Over the next decade, the SoftBank Vision Fund will be the biggest investor in the technology sector.”
