Here's what SoftBank Group Corp. should do to generate more qualified meetings every month.
Lead generation
Start by focusing your outreach on companies and founders that closely resemble your most successful existing portfolio investments or your ideal AI and deep-tech targets—think top-performing Series A–C AI startups and visionary telco, IoT, or robotics scale-ups in Japan, the US, and UK.
Here is why: Targeting lookalikes of your best-performing customers or portfolio companies increases your chances of sourcing companies that will be a strong fit for your organization’s investment thesis and strategic direction. Use Leadsforge to identify and build precise lists of similar founders and teams. Simply add your ideal customer or company profiles into Leadsforge, and it will help you discover and validate promising lookalikes.
One effective tactic is to find individuals who follow the LinkedIn pages of your competitors or portfolio companies. These followers are often engaged in your target markets and actively seeking updates, making them high-potential contacts.
Here is why: People who follow similar companies are more likely to engage with your investment or partnership offers. You only need to share the LinkedIn company page link in Leadsforge, and it will identify and build the follower list for you.
Define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) based on your current priorities: for SoftBank, this could be AI and deep-tech startup founders, technology partnership leads (telco/cloud/hardware/energy), and corporate development or finance decision makers. Segment further by team function (e.g., CEO/CTO for startups, Head of Partnerships for telcos, CFO for target M&A), region (Japan, US, UK, Global), and company size or funding stage.
Here is why: Refining your ICP ensures your outreach is tailored and relevant, improving your odds of landing high-quality conversations. Leadsforge allows you to adjust these parameters easily before exporting your target lists.
Targeting
Build 3 initial segments:
1) Founders, CEOs, and CTOs of Series A–C AI startups in Japan, the US, or UK
2) Heads of Partnerships or Commercial roles at global telcos and major cloud providers in key regions (Japan/APAC, US, EMEA)
3) CFOs or Heads of Corporate Development at relevant portfolio or target companies globally.
Here is why: Segmentation based on role, company category, and geography aligns your message with the needs and interests of specific decision makers, boosting relevance and reply rates.
Prioritize outreach in industries where you already have traction or strategic focus—AI, telecommunications, IoT, robotics, and clean energy. Within these, target verticals such as cloud computing, hardware, and energy technology.
Here is why: Vertical targeting ensures your messaging speaks directly to the business challenges and opportunities within sectors where SoftBank already offers value and credibility.
Set up outreach triggers for:
1) Recently announced funding rounds (Series A/B/C)
2) New key hires (such as CTO, Head of AI)
3) Recent product launches, new partnership or API announcements
4) Major market or regulatory events (spectrum auctions, product releases)
Here is why: Engaging with prospects when they are experiencing change or growth increases your chances of starting timely, relevant conversations.
Outbound Stack We Recommend:
Every company should choose outbound tools that work specifically for their industry.
Unlimited Linkedin Profiles
ESP Matching for increased delivery
Here’s Why
Salesforge is your all-in-one platform for automating highly personalized outreach sequences, orchestrating multi-mailbox campaigns, and tracking engagement. For a large global company like SoftBank, it simplifies managing outreach for various teams (investment, partnerships, corp dev) and provides analytics to continually improve your results.
Here is why: Salesforge helps you run professional, data-driven campaigns at scale, while keeping branding, compliance, and team coordination under tight control.
Latest & High Quality Contact Data
Find Competitor’s LinkedIn Page Followers
Highest Data Coverage (10+ Providers)
Find Lookalikes of your Customers
Find Linkedin, Email & Phone Number
Here’s Why
Leadsforge empowers your team to build targeted lists using powerful segmentation—by company, role, location, and recent events. This is ideal for SoftBank’s needs, from finding AI founders to surfacing telco partnership leads. You can find, validate, and export contacts in just a few clicks, fueling your campaigns with data you can trust.
Here is why: Great outreach starts with great data, and Leadsforge makes sure you always have up-to-date, relevant contacts aligned with your ICP.
Start your program using Primeforge mailboxes hosted via Google Workspace or Microsoft Outlook for credibility and deliverability. Pair this with Mailforge for early warm-up and A/B testing—this is the safest way to test new messaging and build sender reputation before scaling. You can use Primeforge for your official, named investment team members and Mailforge to experiment and optimize without putting your brand at risk.
Here is why: Combining Primeforge with Mailforge protects both your outreach effectiveness and your organization’s domain reputation. Move to Infraforge only when your program scales up and you need maximum deliverability control on a dedicated IP.
softbank-ai.com
softbankteam.com
softbanksend.com
%20(2).avif)
.avif)
