If you read technology news often, you've read about SoftBank. They've been all over the news during the past few months. In May they announced SoftBank Vision Fund (SVF). With an expected 100 billion dollar war chest, it's the largest technology-based fund we've ever seen.

What caught my attention, apart from the size, is the speed at which Softbank is deploying the funds. Since May, they've already invested 18.4 billion dollars.

But who is SoftBank anyway? I knew it was one of the largest corporations in Japan, but how did they manage to pull such a fund. Even more surprising, their last round of investments have been super strategic, critically so.

It surprised me because it's extraordinary to see a corporate-backed fund being so prescient about technology. Most corporate venture arms aim to support their parent company in a mix of open innovation and acquisition strategy. Their goal is to scout compelling technology that will advance the parent's company agenda. Few venture arms are independent of the mothership.