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SoftBank Ventures Asia
SoftBank Ventures Asia, led by CEO JP Lee, is SoftBank Group's oldest venture capital unit, investing in early-stage Asian tech since 2000.
SoftBank Ventures Asia
Softbank Ventures Asia is a corporate venture arm of Softbank. It focuses on investments in the Financial Services sector.
General information
Firm type
Venture Capital
Year founded
2000
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
South Korea
City
Seoul
Corporate office
Seoul, South Korea
Additional offices
San Francisco, CA, United States · Beijing, China · Singapore
Principals
JP Lee
CEO & Managing Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at SoftBank Ventures Asia?
JP Lee serves as CEO and Managing Partner, leading the investment team from the firm's Seoul headquarters. Investment decisions are made by the internal partnership, which operates independently from SoftBank Group's Vision Fund management structure.
How is SoftBank Ventures Asia different from SoftBank's Vision Fund?
SoftBank Ventures Asia is a corporate venture capital arm founded in 2000, focusing exclusively on early-stage investments — seed to Series B. The Vision Funds, launched in 2017, target growth-stage and late-stage companies with significantly larger check sizes and operate under a separate management structure with external limited partners.
What investment stages does SoftBank Ventures Asia typically target?
The firm focuses on early-stage technology investments, spanning seed rounds through Series B. This early-entry approach predates the growth-stage concentration that the SoftBank Vision Fund series later made synonymous with the brand.
Which geographies does SoftBank Ventures Asia cover?
The geographic mandate covers Asia's core technology markets, with active investing in South Korea, China, and Southeast Asia. The firm maintains offices in Seoul, Beijing, and Singapore to support this regional coverage.
Does SoftBank Ventures Asia raise outside capital or invest from the SoftBank balance sheet?
The firm operates as a corporate venture capital arm deploying SoftBank Group's balance-sheet capital. It does not raise external limited partner funds, functioning instead as a permanent capital vehicle with an indefinite investment horizon.
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