Four years ago, SoftBank stunned the investment world with its $100 million Vision Fund—a single fund that was 50x larger than the largest venture funds at the time. But in the wake of high-profile flameouts like WeWork, Katerra and Brandless, the Vision Fund is now working on a turnaround for its first fund and is steering clear of the “capital as a weapon” approach with its second fund. Here, CFO Navneet Govil speaks with Crunchbase News about SoftBank’s new startup investment approach.
Chinese companies rushed to go public on the U.S. markets
Chinese companies rushed to go public on the U.S. markets this year, so far making 2021 one of the most active years for IPOs by China-based companies. But all of that activity is effectively on pause, thanks to a series of reported moves by U.S. regulators, and it seems unlikely to pick back up again by the end of the year, experts say.
NFTs are here to stay, dominate and slay
Everything blockchain comes in waves and cycles, and the nonfungible token fascination is absolutely no exception. But just because the celebrity-fueled craze of earlier this year is over, doesn’t mean NFTs are on the decline, writes guest author Reuben Jackson, a blockchain security consultant.
Proptech startups repurpose pandemic’s vacant office space
With office vacancy rates in many major U.S. cities high, a growing number of funded startups are repurposing empty commercial space into food distribution centers, storage spaces, boutique gyms, classrooms for microschools and learning pods, co-working spaces, and more.
Cleantech funds are scaling up in 2021
Whether the focus is clean manufacturing, energy efficiency, renewables, sustainable packaging, or a host of other focus areas, the broad bet is that we can take incremental steps to curtail our carbon-spewing ways. We take a look at the startups and funding in the space.
ICON lands $207M for building tech, Xiaodu raises at $5.1B valuation
Austin-based ICON, a developer of advanced construction technologies including components for 3D printed homes, raised $207 million in a Series B round led by Norwest Venture Partners. In other news, Xiaodu, a provider of smart displays backed by China’s Baidu, reportedly raised a new financing round of undisclosed size at a valuation of $5.1 billion.
Effective cold prospecting strategies for SaaS sales
Cold prospecting, or the practice of reaching out to potential customers who are unfamiliar with your product, is a common sales tactic. In this article, RingCentral’s Pohan Lin breaks down how to develop cold prospecting strategies that maximize SaaS sales.
