
Investments
42Portfolio Exits
8Funds
5Service Providers
2About Sozo Ventures
Sozo Ventures is a cross-border venture fund focusing on assisting US-based technology start-ups with global expansion into Asia. In addition to investing, it directly helps with the expansion strategy and cross-border business development, connecting startups to top-tier brands in Japan and Asia that can either become customers or strategic partners to make entry into the market successful.
Sozo Ventures Headquarter Location
900 Veterans Blvd. Suite 330
Redwood City, California, 94063,
United States
408-892-3401
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Sozo Ventures Rank
Latest Sozo Ventures News
May 11, 2022
The seven-year-old, Atlanta-based startup has now raised $325 million in total funding and achieved a valuation of $1.3 billion. The “series D extension” round was led by Franklin Templeton and follows an original “series D” round of $90 million in 2021 that included participation from new investors Sozo Ventures, Strike Capital and 137 Ventures, along with existing investors Kleiner Perkins, Founders Fund, BOND, Susa Ventures, Dynamo Ventures, Lux Capital, and Salesforce Ventures. Stord says its platform levels the playing field for mid-market and enterprise companies, as ongoing supply chain disruptions impact the entire global economy. In pursuit of that goal, the company in the past six months has increased its warehouse network to more than 1,000 facilities across the U.S. and grown its headcount from 400 to over 700 people, with plans to close 2022 with more than 1,000 employees. "Supply chain infrastructure has yet to evolve to meet today's customer expectations or the complex needs of omnichannel business," Robert Stevenson, co-director of private investing with Franklin Equity Group at Franklin Templeton, said in a release. "The many supply chain challenges of the past few years have exacerbated this situation, exposing the fragmentation and rigidity of traditional supply chains. Stord connects physical supply chain infrastructure and services with cloud software, and opens up the power of world-class logistics as a scalable plug and play utility for growing brands." In further support for fulfillment and delivery networks, investors today also provided $76 million of venture capital for the same-day freight company Mothership . The Austin, Texas-based firm now intends to use the capital to expand its on-demand freight platform nationwide, thanks to the new backing from Benchmark, WestCap, Bow Capital, former Con-way Freight CEO Douglas Stotlar, and others. “The last two years have taught us the importance of the supply chain. I believe Mothership is leveraging technology and a marketplace model to have a bigger impact for consumers and carriers in the short-haul and final mile,” Benchmark General Partner Bill Gurley said in a release. “In the ongoing great logistics reshuffling, Mothership is built to help get things done in an increasingly on-demand world.”
Sozo Ventures Investments
42 Investments
Sozo Ventures has made 42 investments. Their latest investment was in STORD as part of their Series D - II on May 5, 2022.
Sozo Ventures Investments Activity
Date | Round | Company | Amount | New? | Co-Investors | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5/10/2022 | Series D - II | STORD | $120M | Yes | 2 | |
4/7/2022 | Series D | Viz.ai | $100M | Yes | 3 | |
4/6/2022 | Series B | SmartHop | $30M | Yes | Equal Ventures, Greycroft, Las Olas Ventures, Ryder Ventures, The Fund, Undisclosed Angel Investors, and Union Square Ventures | 3 |
3/7/2022 | Series A | |||||
2/9/2022 | Series B |
Date | 5/10/2022 | 4/7/2022 | 4/6/2022 | 3/7/2022 | 2/9/2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Round | Series D - II | Series D | Series B | Series A | Series B |
Company | STORD | Viz.ai | SmartHop | ||
Amount | $120M | $100M | $30M | ||
New? | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Co-Investors | Equal Ventures, Greycroft, Las Olas Ventures, Ryder Ventures, The Fund, Undisclosed Angel Investors, and Union Square Ventures | ||||
Sources | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Sozo Ventures Portfolio Exits
8 Portfolio Exits
Sozo Ventures has 8 portfolio exits. Their latest portfolio exit was Chorus.ai on July 13, 2021.
Sozo Ventures Fund History
5 Fund Histories
Sozo Ventures has 5 funds, including Sozo Ventures Fund III.
Closing Date | Fund | Fund Type | Status | Amount | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1/11/2022 | Sozo Ventures Fund III | $592.4M | 3 | ||
2/1/2016 | Sozo Ventures - TrueBridge Fund II | ||||
3/27/2015 | Sozo Ventures - TrueBridge Fund I | ||||
6/5/2014 | Sozo Feeder Fund | ||||
Sozo Ventures II-S |
Closing Date | 1/11/2022 | 2/1/2016 | 3/27/2015 | 6/5/2014 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fund | Sozo Ventures Fund III | Sozo Ventures - TrueBridge Fund II | Sozo Ventures - TrueBridge Fund I | Sozo Feeder Fund | Sozo Ventures II-S |
Fund Type | |||||
Status | |||||
Amount | $592.4M | ||||
Sources | 3 |
Sozo Ventures Service Providers
2 Service Providers
Sozo Ventures has 2 service provider relationships
Service Provider | Associated Rounds | Provider Type | Service Type |
---|---|---|---|
Counsel | General Counsel | ||
Service Provider | ||
---|---|---|
Associated Rounds | ||
Provider Type | Counsel | |
Service Type | General Counsel |
Partnership data by VentureSource
Sozo Ventures Team
4 Team Members
Sozo Ventures has 4 team members, including current Managing Director, Spencer Foust.
Name | Work History | Title | Status |
---|---|---|---|
Spencer Foust | Apple, and Sandia National Laboratories | Managing Director | Current |
Hiroki Matsuda | Managing Director | Current | |
Phil Wickham | TL Ventures, Icon Ventures, and Flagship Ventures | Managing Director | Current |
Michael Madison | The Angels' Forum | Managing Director | Former |
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