The story of SoftBank begins with its founder, Masayoshi Son. After studying in the United States, Son returned to Japan with a clear vision: to help drive the coming information revolution. He saw the personal computer not just as a tool, but as the foundation for a new era of business and communication.

Armed with this conviction, he founded SoftBank Corp. on September 3, 1981, in Tokyo. The name itself was a mission statement. Son envisioned the company as a "bank of software," a central hub for the burgeoning PC software industry in Japan.

Initially, SoftBank's core business was straightforward: distributing packaged software. At a time when personal computing was just taking off, there was a growing need for applications, but the distribution channels were still undeveloped. SoftBank stepped in to fill that gap, becoming the largest distributor of PC software in Japan.

Masayoshi Son's ambitions, however, extended far beyond simple distribution. He quickly expanded into publishing, launching computer magazines like Oh! PC and Oh! MZ. This was a strategic move that created a powerful synergy. The magazines reviewed and promoted the very software that SoftBank was selling, building an ecosystem that both educated consumers and drove sales.

This expansion was the first step in a long history of diversification. SoftBank also ventured into developing telephone-line routing devices and, later, made a significant entry into Japan's broadband internet market. Each move was a step closer to Son's grand vision of a company at the forefront of the digital world.

The company's foundational period was also marked by key strategic investments that would later define its identity. The most pivotal of these was its early backing of Yahoo!. In 1995, SoftBank invested $2 million in the fledgling internet portal, and followed it up with a $100 million investment a year later. This bold bet on a then-unknown company showcased the aggressive, forward-looking investment strategy that would become SoftBank's hallmark, laying the groundwork for its transformation into a global technology investment giant.

From its beginnings as a software distributor and magazine publisher, SoftBank had set its sights on a much larger future.