Banker Who Brought Goldman Clout to SoftBank Starts Venture Bets

Before his abrupt departure from SoftBank Group Corp. last year, Katsunori Sago was seen as a potential successor to billionaire founder Masayoshi Son. He’s now charting his own course in startup investments.

SoftBank’s ex-Chief Strategy Officer joins a growing cadre of Son’s former lieutenants who have caught the venture capital bug. Chief Operating Officer Marcelo Claure, who left earlier this year, is deploying billions through his family office. Rajeev Misra, who helped Son set up the initial Vision Fund, has stepped down from his role as a corporate officer and is launching his own fund.