SoftBank Takes Stake in Roomba-Maker iRobot

  • IRobot stake is below 5%, under U.S. disclosure threshold
  • Japanese firm has raised over $93 billion for Vision Fund

Softbank Said to Take Stake in Roomba Maker iRobot

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SoftBank Group Corp. has taken a stake in Roomba vacuum-cleaner maker IRobot Corp., people familiar with the matter said, as the Japanese company builds its holdings in robotics firms.

SoftBank has built a less than 5 percent stake in IRobot, below the amount that would require a regulatory disclosure in the U.S., the people said, asking not to be identified because the purchase was private. The Bedford, Massachusetts-based technology company has a market value of $2.4 billion.