SoftBank Group announced that it has invested in a Japanese start-up company for the first time through its investment fund.
There is a possibility that the investment target, which was previously centered on American and Chinese companies, will be expanded to Japanese companies in the future.
The investment was received by the bio-based startup company Accuris Pharma in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture, and SoftBank Group funds and others invested 6.8 billion yen.
The company plans to clinically develop and sell drugs for sleep disorders introduced from Europe and the United States in Japan by utilizing AI = artificial intelligence and digital technology.
The SoftBank Group is expanding investment in AI-related companies through its affiliated funds, and has invested more than 106 billion dollars in more than 180 companies and 11 trillion yen in Japanese yen. All of the targets are overseas companies, and the percentage of companies in the United States and China is particularly high.
However, from the perspective of risk diversification, we have expanded the scope of investment to Asian countries other than Europe and China, and this is the first time that Japanese companies have been targeted for investment through funds.
In Japan, the environment is changing, such as the increase in large start-up companies, so there is a possibility that the SoftBank Group will increase investment in Japan in the future.