SoftBank eyes Vision Fund IPO as investees Uber, WeWork prepare for public listings
- If pursued, an IPO would give investors in the fund a way to cash out part or all of their stakes
A handful of executives at Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group Corp are weighing the idea of an initial public offering for its Vision Fund, the US$100 billion behemoth that has invested in technology companies ranging from Uber Technologies to WeWork.
The idea is early stage, said a person familiar with the situation who asked not to be identified because it was private.
If pursued, an IPO would give investors in the fund a way to cash out part or all of their stakes. The fund might consider a direct listing rather than a traditional IPO, the person said.
A listing of any sort would be unusual for a venture firm, but the Vision Fund has operated outside traditional venture parameters since its debut in 2016. It dwarfs other funds in size and invests more broadly than most venture funds, including in mature companies like chip maker Nvidia Corp.
The Vision Fund has explored raising an additional US$15 billion to keep funding its ambitious investment activities. SoftBank is planning a second Vision Fund, and is also launching a Latin American fund in the mould of Vision Fund.