#HTE
Grab has become the newest addition to the SoftBank Vision Fund after it announced today that it has pulled in a $1.46 billion investment from the super fund. Grab said the new money will be used to further its super app strategy, which is aimed at making its service a daily app for Southeast Asian consumers.
The deal — which was first reported by TechCrunch in December — takes Grab’s ongoing Series H round to $4.5 billion. Other investors in that round include Toyota, Booking Holdings, Microsoft and Hyundai. The new deal means Grab has now raised over $7.5 billion to date. Grab was last valued at $11 billion when it secured a $1 billion investment from Toyota to kick off this Series H in June, but that valuation is likely to have increased significantly since then.
The Vision Fund deal has been months in the making. SoftBank is an existing investor in Grab and, as had already happened with Coupang and Tokopedia, it is transitioning its stake into the Vision Fund while dropping in additional investment capital as well.
“We have been working alongside Grab for a number of years and are privileged to support the evolution of its user-driven technologies. This investment will help the company explore exciting new opportunities across on-demand mobility, delivery and financial services as it continues to grow its offline-to-online platform across Southeast Asia,” said SoftBank’s David Thevenon in a statement.
More to follow, refresh for updates
https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/05/grab-vision-fund/