SoftBank-Backed Mapbox Targets Ride-Hailing, Self-Driving Cars
- Mapbox is developing vision software for automotive customers
- Mapping company raised $164 million in SoftBank-led round
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Mapbox Inc., backed by SoftBank Group Corp., says it has a role to play in Masayoshi Son’s vision for ride-hailing and autonomous cars.
The provider of mapping data for Tinder, Evernote and Facebook Inc. in October raised $164 million in a funding round led by the SoftBank Vision Fund. The infusion was aimed at helping Mapbox go beyond maps and develop software that can convert a smartphone into a car dashboard heads-up display, Chief Executive Officer Eric Gundersen said in an interview. That technology has a natural fit with Son’s portfolio of investments in the world’s biggest ride-hailing companies, he said.