The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.
Bloomberg
SoftBank Group Corp. is in discussions with potential investors in Canada and the Middle East to raise $7 billion of additional capital for its technology fund, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Japanese company is in talks with Canadian pension funds, sovereign wealth funds in Kuwait and Qatar and technology companies, the people said, asking not to be identified as the discussions are ongoing. The new commitments would take the total pool to $100 billion, though there’s no guarantee that the parties will reach an agreement, they said.
The Vision Fund will charge a performance fee of 20 percent and a management fee of 0.5 percent to 1 percent, the people said. That compares to private equity firms, which typically charge 2 percent of the assets they oversee, plus 20 percent of profits. SoftBank plans to hire about 50 people this year to help manage its investments, the people said. Representatives for SoftBank and the Kuwaiti and Qatari wealth funds declined to comment. SoftBank and Saudi Arabia formally announced the first round of capital commitments for the largest-ever technology investment fund last month, giving the Japanese company’s founder, Masayoshi Son, the firepower to accelerate investments in cutting-edge technologies and startups. Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Co., Apple Inc., Qualcomm Inc., Foxconn Technology Group and Sharp Corp. are also investing.
Son, who has vowed to become the biggest investor in the technology industry over the next decade, has already started making good on that promise.