SoftBank Investment Advisers’ Post

For a growing company, international expansion isn’t just about opportunity — it’s about strategy and timing. Staffing marketplace Job&Talent's bold M&A approach taught them valuable lessons about integrating new acquisitions and the complexities of global growth. “Sometimes there’s pressure to expand internationally,” co-founder and co-CEO Felipe Navío says. “But my advice when I talk to other entrepreneurs is to nail down your product and nail down your core market before you expand. Because if you’re not ready, you’ll lose your focus.” Today, more than 20 acquisitions later, Job&Talent operates in 10 countries on three continents and serves a list of marquee clients that includes the likes of UPS, DHL, and Amazon. Read our multimedia feature for more company-building insights from the Job&Talent team. https://lnkd.in/gf5KnRjp #growth #startup #expansion

A new wave of digital-first enterprises are listing on Indian exchanges, adding depth and diversity to capital markets in the world’s fastest growing major economy. We’re thrilled to support many of India’s next generation of technology leaders. Two of our invested companies, Ola Electric and FirstCry.com (BrainBees Solutions Ltd.), debuted on public markets in one week. Congratulations to Bhavish Aggarwal for driving Ola Electric as India's first listed pure-play EV company. Bhavish and Ola are on a mission to accelerate the electrification of India’s transportation industry. Congratulations also to Supam Maheshwari and the entire FirstCry team on their IPO! Over the last fourteen years, Supam has built FirstCry into a leading omnichannel retailer of baby and kids' products, with over 36 million shipments annually. More than 100 million mothers have downloaded the FirstCry app since its inception. And a final shout out to our local investment team leaders - Sumer Juneja, Paul Davison, Sarthak Misra Varun Khurana An IPO is a huge milestone for any company, but it’s just another step in realizing their potential. Well done to all the teams at Ola Electric and FirstCry, we’re excited for what’s to come.

From our latest CHRO survey: 75% of people leaders believe companies that don’t integrate AI into their HR operations will be left behind. At Unifonic, a leading conversational AI platform, everyone on staff has been given access to ChatGPT, with employees using it for everything from analysis to presentation prep. Vice President of Human Capital & Administration Colin Christie is also setting up an intelligent HR chatbot that plugs into the company’s Slack channel to answer simple questions about company policies. Christie is bullish about the possibilities of AI in HR, but points out that adoption will vary by geography. “We operate in countries such as Pakistan and Egypt, where stamps on pieces of paper and physical documents are still very much part of the operating environment,” he says. Discover more ways startups are leveraging AI to improve processes and retain top talent: https://lnkd.in/gBX7494p #data #chro #ai

As an investor in cutting-edge technology and #AI, we are acutely aware of the crucial role that capital allocators play in shaping a more sustainable future. To this end, we are proud to share our first #ClimateDisclosure report for SoftBank Vision Fund 1. This represents a major milestone to understand and actively manage our carbon footprint, both within our firm and across our ecosystem of portfolio companies. While we recognize that there is still much work to be done, we are firmly committed to continuous improvement in supporting positive environmental outcomes. https://lnkd.in/e9TDMn3X #Sustainability #TCFD #ClimateAction #AI #Investment 

For biotech startup Ventus Therapeutics, competing against Big Pharma can feel like David vs. Goliath. “How did David win the battle?” asks CEO Marcelo Bigal. “By being quick, by being fast, and by acting first. Basically that's it. Big Pharma has technologies, platforms, money, and critical mass. But they are slow.” Ventus is anything but slow: In just five years the company built a breakthrough platform for drug discovery, one that’s already yielded three clinical-stage therapies. In our latest Q&A, Bigal talks about competing with larger, better-resourced companies, putting patients first, and why having a shared mission is critical to success. https://lnkd.in/g_b6uYMq #biotech #medicine #innovation

From securing funding to scaling, most startups face a similar scope of challenges. But in 2019, for ag tech venture Apollo Agriculture, the biggest obstacle was a swarm of locusts. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Apollo’s business model works by giving out loans to farmers and empowering them with planting advice backed by algorithms. “By building a business model inextricably tied to our mission, we think we can generate massive impact at scale,” co-founder Eli Pollak says. The company even collects weather data, and automatically shifts loan payment due dates accordingly. Dive into our feature story to learn how Apollo is seeding a revolution in farming. https://lnkd.in/gyZi4VYr #startup #agtech #ai

In our first executive survey this year, we took the pulse of CHROs around the world. Here’s just some of what they told us: ⚫ 47% of CHROs said manager effectiveness is their top priority this year, more than any other issue ⚫ 3 of 4 CHROs believe companies that don’t integrate AI into their HR operations will be left behind ⚫ 56% of CHROs think hybrid work contributes to lower turnover To dive into the full survey results and learn about the state of the talent market, the mood of workers, the lingering toll of layoffs, and more, click into our Sōzō Pulse experience. https://lnkd.in/gDz2pry5 #data #chro #hybridwork

57% of CHROs have had to rethink the employee value proposition since the pandemic, according to our latest survey of CHROs. “We’re in a space where people are more burned out and overwhelmed than ever before,” says Jennifer Dulski, founder and CEO of Rising Team, who also teaches management at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. “People want stability, because nothing has been stable. And they want connection, because so many people are not together in the office.” Our recent story takes a deep dive into this data point, exploring how companies are navigating a new normal by shifting priorities and adapting policies, practices, and organizational culture to keep employees happy and stay ahead of the curve. https://lnkd.in/gVbGJP8e #data #chro #evp

Finding cures for diseases like Parkinson’s means leaving no stone unturned. On the verge of developing a new kind of molecule to help combat the neurodegenerative condition, Ventus Therapeutics screened a documentary film about Parkinson’s for the entire company. The next day they invited a specialist to speak to everyone. On the third day, a patient with a severe form of Parkinson's shared his experience living with the disease. All three events were mandatory for employees, whether they were an accountant or a chemist. What was the impact? “Try telling someone at the company today that we’re giving up on Parkinson’s,” says CEO Marcelo Bigal. “They’re going to fight for it. The accountant is going to find money for Parkinson’s. This is our disease. Those events touched everyone at the company. They changed us.” Read our full Q&A with Bigal that spotlights how Ventus’s approach to drug discovery is unquestionably people-centered. https://lnkd.in/gveCgDTF #biotech #medicine #innovation