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SoftBank announced its second Vision Fund of about $108bn in July 2019 to invest in technology startups across the world. SoftBank had originally planned to contribute $38bn to the new fund. However, its Vision Fund I was badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and losses resulting in lower valuations of its investments in Uber and WeWork.In February 2020, the Japanese conglomerate decided to inject more money into the Vision Fund II before raising new funds from other LPs. With $10bn committed to the second fund by the SoftBank Group, the new fund has now invested in 13 portfolio companies including co-leading the Series C round for XAG in November 2020.
SoftBank announced its second Vision Fund of about $108bn in July 2019 to invest in technology startups across the world. SoftBank had originally planned to contribute $38bn to the new fund. However, its Vision Fund I was badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and losses resulting in lower valuations of its investments in Uber and WeWork.In February 2020, the Japanese conglomerate decided to inject more money into the Vision Fund II before raising new funds from other LPs. With $10bn committed to the second fund by the SoftBank Group, the new fund has now invested in 13 portfolio companies including co-leading the Series C round for XAG in November 2020.
TRATON is a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group and one of the world’s largest producer of commercial vehicles. It manufactures light-duty commercial vehicles, trucks and buses at 29 production and assembly sites in 17 countries.The company is now focusing on developing electric trucks and announced in March 2021 that it will invest a total of €1.6bn in e-mobility R&D by 2025. In September 2020, it partnered with self-driving trucking startup TuSimple to mass produce driverless trucks.In March 2021, Navistar stockholders approved the acquisition of Navistar by TRATON. Subject to regulatory approvals, the transaction is expected to be completed by mid-May.
TRATON is a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group and one of the world’s largest producer of commercial vehicles. It manufactures light-duty commercial vehicles, trucks and buses at 29 production and assembly sites in 17 countries.The company is now focusing on developing electric trucks and announced in March 2021 that it will invest a total of €1.6bn in e-mobility R&D by 2025. In September 2020, it partnered with self-driving trucking startup TuSimple to mass produce driverless trucks.In March 2021, Navistar stockholders approved the acquisition of Navistar by TRATON. Subject to regulatory approvals, the transaction is expected to be completed by mid-May.
Green Innovations is an impact fund that invests in large-scale projects addressing global sustainability challenges, focusing on the agriculture, biotechnology, education, energy, housing and water sectors. It is headed by Angola-based Portuguese businessman Jorge Marques, and linked to Israeli group Mitrelli. Green Innovations took control of Biocant, Portugal’s biggest biotech park, in a privatization move in 2017–2018. Green Innovations's stable of companies includes Green Biotech, created to invest in biotechnology in Portugal, and Green Services Innovations, linked to the exploration of phosphates in Congo.Its recent investments include in the June 2021 $85m Series C round and February 2021 $25m Series B of Portuguese home physiotherapy tech solution SWORD Health, the world’s fastest-growing musculoskeletal solution.
Green Innovations is an impact fund that invests in large-scale projects addressing global sustainability challenges, focusing on the agriculture, biotechnology, education, energy, housing and water sectors. It is headed by Angola-based Portuguese businessman Jorge Marques, and linked to Israeli group Mitrelli. Green Innovations took control of Biocant, Portugal’s biggest biotech park, in a privatization move in 2017–2018. Green Innovations's stable of companies includes Green Biotech, created to invest in biotechnology in Portugal, and Green Services Innovations, linked to the exploration of phosphates in Congo.Its recent investments include in the June 2021 $85m Series C round and February 2021 $25m Series B of Portuguese home physiotherapy tech solution SWORD Health, the world’s fastest-growing musculoskeletal solution.
CEO and Founder of Didimo
Argentinian-born Verónica Costa Orvalho is a veteran in animation technology. In 2016, she became the CEO and founder of Didimo that was inspired by an earlier venture Face In Motion, established in 2007 to focus on cinematic quality and animation production of faces. Orvalho won the award for the AI and virtual reality category at a Women Startup Challenge event held in New York in 2017. Orvalho has a long academic track record in related fields, beginning with a first degree in Software Engineering from the University of Belgrano in Buenos Aires. She moved to Barcelona and obtained a master's degree in Videogame Design and Development at University Pompeu Fabra where she continued to work on creating a facial animation system “For CG Films”. She later completed her PhD at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia with her thesis: Fast and Reusable Facial Rigging and Animation to develop an application that could speed up the traditional “slowing rigging” process. She has worked at Ericsson as a systems analyst and was a producer at the Argentinian film company Patagonik Film Group that helped to produce the Oscar-winning movie El hijo de la novia. She worked for four years as the founder of Panorama Consulting, a consultancy focusing on developing systems for the medical, logistics and entertainment industries. Since 2003, she has lectured in different institutions, including Porto University's Porto Interactive Center as its specialist in facial animation since 2008.
Argentinian-born Verónica Costa Orvalho is a veteran in animation technology. In 2016, she became the CEO and founder of Didimo that was inspired by an earlier venture Face In Motion, established in 2007 to focus on cinematic quality and animation production of faces. Orvalho won the award for the AI and virtual reality category at a Women Startup Challenge event held in New York in 2017. Orvalho has a long academic track record in related fields, beginning with a first degree in Software Engineering from the University of Belgrano in Buenos Aires. She moved to Barcelona and obtained a master's degree in Videogame Design and Development at University Pompeu Fabra where she continued to work on creating a facial animation system “For CG Films”. She later completed her PhD at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia with her thesis: Fast and Reusable Facial Rigging and Animation to develop an application that could speed up the traditional “slowing rigging” process. She has worked at Ericsson as a systems analyst and was a producer at the Argentinian film company Patagonik Film Group that helped to produce the Oscar-winning movie El hijo de la novia. She worked for four years as the founder of Panorama Consulting, a consultancy focusing on developing systems for the medical, logistics and entertainment industries. Since 2003, she has lectured in different institutions, including Porto University's Porto Interactive Center as its specialist in facial animation since 2008.
Jungle Ventures was founded by serial entrepreneur Anurag Srivastava and business angel Amit Anand in Singapore. Anurag arrived in Singapore in 1993 and established interior design Space Matrix group in 2006. Amit was a vice chairman of Business Angels Network South East Asia (BANSEA). He is currently a member of the Advisory Council for Ethics in AI & Data in Singapore.The VC specializes in the finance, retail, software, media, travel and hospitality sectors. Investments include budget hotel network RedDoorz, microfinancing fintech Kredivo, photography services platform SweetEscape and digital logistics Waresix.
Jungle Ventures was founded by serial entrepreneur Anurag Srivastava and business angel Amit Anand in Singapore. Anurag arrived in Singapore in 1993 and established interior design Space Matrix group in 2006. Amit was a vice chairman of Business Angels Network South East Asia (BANSEA). He is currently a member of the Advisory Council for Ethics in AI & Data in Singapore.The VC specializes in the finance, retail, software, media, travel and hospitality sectors. Investments include budget hotel network RedDoorz, microfinancing fintech Kredivo, photography services platform SweetEscape and digital logistics Waresix.
Based in Amsterdam, BC Begin Capital Limited was established in April 2019 by Alexey Menn as managing partner in Moscow. The VC has invested in five startups. In 2019, it invested in e-grocery food delivery service Samokat that was acquired by Mail.Ru Group.In February 2020, the international firm was lead investor for Finnish fashion marketplace Zadaa, raising €3.5m for its Series A round. Both Begin Capital and Bulgaria’s BrightCap Ventures were lead investors for Woom, raising €2m in May. The two investments are the biggest so far, compared to previous fundraisers for startups like Bulbshare in March 2020.
Based in Amsterdam, BC Begin Capital Limited was established in April 2019 by Alexey Menn as managing partner in Moscow. The VC has invested in five startups. In 2019, it invested in e-grocery food delivery service Samokat that was acquired by Mail.Ru Group.In February 2020, the international firm was lead investor for Finnish fashion marketplace Zadaa, raising €3.5m for its Series A round. Both Begin Capital and Bulgaria’s BrightCap Ventures were lead investors for Woom, raising €2m in May. The two investments are the biggest so far, compared to previous fundraisers for startups like Bulbshare in March 2020.
Diego Ballesteros is one of Spain's most prominent serial entrepreneurs and business angels, backing some of the most successful acquisitions in Spain and Latin America. He made his first disclosed investment in 2016, as an angel investor of Spanish femtech WOOM’s pre-seed and seed funding rounds. He is currently the sole founder of Bewe SaaS for beauty and wellness professionals.Ballesteros started his first enterprise in 1997, an online classified ads platform Ocioteca.com and also MundoSalud that was acquired by Sanitas of Bupa Group. Cabify and co-investments with Seaya Ventures also form part of his investment portfolio. One of his biggest successes is on-demand food delivery platform SinDelantal with operations in Spain and Mexico. In 2013, the Spanish delivery company was acquired by Just Eat that later also bought the Mexican company in 2015.
Diego Ballesteros is one of Spain's most prominent serial entrepreneurs and business angels, backing some of the most successful acquisitions in Spain and Latin America. He made his first disclosed investment in 2016, as an angel investor of Spanish femtech WOOM’s pre-seed and seed funding rounds. He is currently the sole founder of Bewe SaaS for beauty and wellness professionals.Ballesteros started his first enterprise in 1997, an online classified ads platform Ocioteca.com and also MundoSalud that was acquired by Sanitas of Bupa Group. Cabify and co-investments with Seaya Ventures also form part of his investment portfolio. One of his biggest successes is on-demand food delivery platform SinDelantal with operations in Spain and Mexico. In 2013, the Spanish delivery company was acquired by Just Eat that later also bought the Mexican company in 2015.
Adevinta Ventures is the investment arm of the Norway-based Adevinta, a local digital marketplace group operating in 15 countries in Europe, Latin America and North Africa, with 1.5bn monthly visitors. Its leading local brands include Leboncoin in France, InfoJobs in Spain, Subito in Italy and Jofogás in Hungary. In Spain, where its headquarters is in Barcelona, the company includes an umbrella of successful online classified platforms such as Infojobs, Fotocasa, Habitaclia, Milanuncios and Vibbo, counting over 18m active users.Adevinta Ventures invests in startups focused on marketplace and platform space specifically in verticals such as mobility, education and real estate. The fund typically invests in Series A and B rounds backing them also with marketing and data support as well as mentorship. Initial investments go up to €5m with follow-on capacity.
Adevinta Ventures is the investment arm of the Norway-based Adevinta, a local digital marketplace group operating in 15 countries in Europe, Latin America and North Africa, with 1.5bn monthly visitors. Its leading local brands include Leboncoin in France, InfoJobs in Spain, Subito in Italy and Jofogás in Hungary. In Spain, where its headquarters is in Barcelona, the company includes an umbrella of successful online classified platforms such as Infojobs, Fotocasa, Habitaclia, Milanuncios and Vibbo, counting over 18m active users.Adevinta Ventures invests in startups focused on marketplace and platform space specifically in verticals such as mobility, education and real estate. The fund typically invests in Series A and B rounds backing them also with marketing and data support as well as mentorship. Initial investments go up to €5m with follow-on capacity.
Born in Shanghai in 1973, Zhang and his parents immigrated to the US in 1987. He received his bachelor’s in Neurobiology from the University of California, San Francisco in 1995 and his master’s in Biotechnology and Business from Northwestern University in 1999. Zhang worked at Salomon Smith Barney and ABN AMRO Capital from 1999–2001. He then served as managing director and head of China operations at venture capital firm WI Harper Group from 2002–2008. Zhang has since served as founding managing partner at Matrix Partners China.
Born in Shanghai in 1973, Zhang and his parents immigrated to the US in 1987. He received his bachelor’s in Neurobiology from the University of California, San Francisco in 1995 and his master’s in Biotechnology and Business from Northwestern University in 1999. Zhang worked at Salomon Smith Barney and ABN AMRO Capital from 1999–2001. He then served as managing director and head of China operations at venture capital firm WI Harper Group from 2002–2008. Zhang has since served as founding managing partner at Matrix Partners China.
Bo Shao graduated with a Harvard degree in Physics and Electrical Engineering in 1995 and worked at the Boston Consulting Group for almost two years until 1997. After obtaining an MBA from Harvard in 1999, he started EachNet in China. The e-commerce platform was acquired by eBay in 2003 for US$225m and Bo went on to other ventures like Babytree and Parent Lab Inc.Based in San Francisco, the angel investor became a founding partner of Matrix Partners China in 2008. He focuses on early-stage investments in the internet, e-commerce and new media sectors.
Bo Shao graduated with a Harvard degree in Physics and Electrical Engineering in 1995 and worked at the Boston Consulting Group for almost two years until 1997. After obtaining an MBA from Harvard in 1999, he started EachNet in China. The e-commerce platform was acquired by eBay in 2003 for US$225m and Bo went on to other ventures like Babytree and Parent Lab Inc.Based in San Francisco, the angel investor became a founding partner of Matrix Partners China in 2008. He focuses on early-stage investments in the internet, e-commerce and new media sectors.
R&D and business lead and co-founder of Graviky Labs
Anirudh Sharma is one of three co-founders of Graviky Labs, which makes ink out of carbon that is captured from pollution and purified using proprietary technology. This concept was born from Sharma’s experiments making ink from candle soot while doing his master’s at MIT Materials Lab. He currently leads R&D and business at the firm. Sharma’s interests include augmented reality, wearable computing and environmental projects. Over the years, he has developed and patented various technology products with social and environmental impact. He was formerly CTO and co-founder of India’s first wearable technology company, Ducere Technologies, which was later sold. This company makes Lechal, the world’s first smart haptic device for shoes, initially designed by Sharma as a navigation aid for the visually impaired. Sharma also previously worked for Imagin Group at Hewlett Packard Labs, on a multimodal speech and touch-based computer-aided design interface for large displays.Sharma holds a master's from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and co-led the activities of MIT Media Lab India from 2013–2015. He is a TED and TEDx speaker and has been included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for Asia, MIT Technology Review’s 35 Innovators Under 35, and Foreign Policy magazine’s 100 Global Thinkers of 2016.
Anirudh Sharma is one of three co-founders of Graviky Labs, which makes ink out of carbon that is captured from pollution and purified using proprietary technology. This concept was born from Sharma’s experiments making ink from candle soot while doing his master’s at MIT Materials Lab. He currently leads R&D and business at the firm. Sharma’s interests include augmented reality, wearable computing and environmental projects. Over the years, he has developed and patented various technology products with social and environmental impact. He was formerly CTO and co-founder of India’s first wearable technology company, Ducere Technologies, which was later sold. This company makes Lechal, the world’s first smart haptic device for shoes, initially designed by Sharma as a navigation aid for the visually impaired. Sharma also previously worked for Imagin Group at Hewlett Packard Labs, on a multimodal speech and touch-based computer-aided design interface for large displays.Sharma holds a master's from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and co-led the activities of MIT Media Lab India from 2013–2015. He is a TED and TEDx speaker and has been included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for Asia, MIT Technology Review’s 35 Innovators Under 35, and Foreign Policy magazine’s 100 Global Thinkers of 2016.
One of China’s most famous angel investors and a prolific speaker, Xu Xiaoping (b.1960) is the managing partner of ZhenFund, a TMT-focused seed fund he founded with close friend and business partner Wang Qiang, in collaboration with Sequoia Capital China, in 2011. Xu began investing in 2006, after the New Oriental Education & Technology Group he co-founded became the first Chinese education company to list on NYSE. Trained as a professional musician, Xu plays the piano, violin, and oboe, and composes music as a hobby. He is also the author of more than 10 books. He studied at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music and holds a master's in Music from the University of Saskatchewan.
One of China’s most famous angel investors and a prolific speaker, Xu Xiaoping (b.1960) is the managing partner of ZhenFund, a TMT-focused seed fund he founded with close friend and business partner Wang Qiang, in collaboration with Sequoia Capital China, in 2011. Xu began investing in 2006, after the New Oriental Education & Technology Group he co-founded became the first Chinese education company to list on NYSE. Trained as a professional musician, Xu plays the piano, violin, and oboe, and composes music as a hobby. He is also the author of more than 10 books. He studied at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music and holds a master's in Music from the University of Saskatchewan.
Currently based in the UK, Carlos González-Cadenas is a serial entrepreneur and business angel. In 2017, he became the CPO and CTO of GoCardless, one of the fintech partners of Billin. He founded Fogg in Barcelona in 2008 to build an advanced semantic search platform for the travel industry that was acquired by Scotland's Skyscanner in 2013. As CPO of Skyscanner in UK, he was able to scale the product development organization globally before the company was acquired by the Ctrip group for US$1.75 billion in November 2016. He was also part of Oberlo that was acquired by Shopify.
Currently based in the UK, Carlos González-Cadenas is a serial entrepreneur and business angel. In 2017, he became the CPO and CTO of GoCardless, one of the fintech partners of Billin. He founded Fogg in Barcelona in 2008 to build an advanced semantic search platform for the travel industry that was acquired by Scotland's Skyscanner in 2013. As CPO of Skyscanner in UK, he was able to scale the product development organization globally before the company was acquired by the Ctrip group for US$1.75 billion in November 2016. He was also part of Oberlo that was acquired by Shopify.
Based in San Mateo California, KBW Ventures was founded by HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud. The asset management firm’s CEO is also the chairman of KBW Investments that was founded in 2013 in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).KBW Ventures is part of the KBW Group and mainly invests in companies involved in sustainable food, artificial intelligence, blockchain technologies and fintech. In 2019, the VC had already invested in 24 companies in sectors like e-gaming, drones, e-commerce and plant-based proteins. Recently, it also increased its stakes in two Californian biotechs BlueNalu and TurtleTree Labs. The aim is to open up the Middle East markets to global tech companies.
Based in San Mateo California, KBW Ventures was founded by HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud. The asset management firm’s CEO is also the chairman of KBW Investments that was founded in 2013 in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).KBW Ventures is part of the KBW Group and mainly invests in companies involved in sustainable food, artificial intelligence, blockchain technologies and fintech. In 2019, the VC had already invested in 24 companies in sectors like e-gaming, drones, e-commerce and plant-based proteins. Recently, it also increased its stakes in two Californian biotechs BlueNalu and TurtleTree Labs. The aim is to open up the Middle East markets to global tech companies.
Samsung Venture Investment, or Samsung Ventures, is the VC investment arm of South Korean diversified conglomerate Samsung Group. It is a separate entity from Samsung NEXT.Samsung Ventures primarily invests in semiconductors, telecommunications tech, software and internet companies, as well as biotechnology and medical companies. The VC is built to support new innovations that can lead to further improvements in Samsung’s existing businesses, which includes smartphones, home appliances, and components like OLED panels and Li-ion batteries.Samsung Ventures has invested in healthcare and wellness tech companies like Indonesia’s telehealth service Alodokter, posture correction device makers Posture360, and Noom, an app for dieting and exercise. In the sensors front, Samsung Ventures has invested in Sense Photonics, a startup creating 3D computer vision based on lidar for industrial and automotive (self-driving) purposes. Besides these companies, Samsung Ventures has also invested in insurtech companies and even gaming companies, such as Pokémon Go developer Niantic.
Samsung Venture Investment, or Samsung Ventures, is the VC investment arm of South Korean diversified conglomerate Samsung Group. It is a separate entity from Samsung NEXT.Samsung Ventures primarily invests in semiconductors, telecommunications tech, software and internet companies, as well as biotechnology and medical companies. The VC is built to support new innovations that can lead to further improvements in Samsung’s existing businesses, which includes smartphones, home appliances, and components like OLED panels and Li-ion batteries.Samsung Ventures has invested in healthcare and wellness tech companies like Indonesia’s telehealth service Alodokter, posture correction device makers Posture360, and Noom, an app for dieting and exercise. In the sensors front, Samsung Ventures has invested in Sense Photonics, a startup creating 3D computer vision based on lidar for industrial and automotive (self-driving) purposes. Besides these companies, Samsung Ventures has also invested in insurtech companies and even gaming companies, such as Pokémon Go developer Niantic.
The edtech startup formerly named Squiline hopes greater fluency in English can boost Indonesia's creative and tourism sectors
Quant Group makes personal loans safer, easier in China
Using big data and AI, Chinese fintech startup Quant Group simplifies and accelerates loan processing, and assures monetary security for financial institutions
Bobobobo: Indonesian luxury at a click
Amid a booming local e-commerce market, this startup carves a niche for itself in upscale trending goods and experiences influenced by Indonesia’s rich traditions
Xtrem Biotech, an agritech startup from Granada, seeks global expansion
With its research roots in the University of Granada, Xtrem Biotech was named one of the world's most innovative agtech spin-offs by accelerator TERRA Food & AgTech
Gojek and Tokopedia merge to form GoTo
The new entity, now Indonesia’s largest tech group, plans to go public in Indonesia and the US, targeting a $40bn valuation
Meituan-Dianping’s Wang Xing: From struggling copycat to IPO billionaire
As the internet startup sets to list in Hong Kong this week, we take a look back at the journey of its founder Wang Xing, once dubbed “the unluckiest serial entrepreneur”
E-wallet unicorn OVO’s future in question amid Lippo's divestment, talk of DANA merger
As even the conglomerate giant feels the pain of OVO's aggressive cash-burning, should digital payments players rethink their strategy to gain market share, beyond the usual discounts and subsidies?
TroopTravel: Growth opportunities in Big Data corporate travel analytics
International award-winner TroopTravel wants to be the ultimate choice for global travellers.
QinLin Tech gets advertisers to pay for your local security systems
Besides keeping residents safe from intruders, QinLin’s smart community business model also offers essential home services, social activities and group-buying discounts
Alodokter wants personalised healthcare on tap
The Indonesian healthcare startup recently got a US$9 million Series B funding for expansion.
A new unicorn rises as OVO's $1bn valuation confirmed
The Lippo Group subsidiary continues to grow in strength as it battles for market share with Gojek’s e-wallet and others
No bank account? In Indonesia, you can still shop online
Indonesian startups are racing to serve the millions of consumers that banks haven’t reached. Here’s a look at some of the leading players, their innovations and how they have redefined the market
eShop Ventures: A costly spending spree to create the Spanish Amazon
Behind the downfall of one of Spain's most promising startups
Meituan, the “Amazon for local services”
Now worth over US$50 billion, the company has always focused on one end-goal: help consumers eat better, live better
Future Food Asia 2021: Impact assessments – getting the metrics right
Common impact measures are useful but each situation requires specific, sometimes subjective considerations. The priority is to gauge if the impact has led to positive changes
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