Deep Tech · Corporate VC

Sony Innovation Fund

Sony's CVC backs one quantum bet, silicon-spin qubit maker Quantum Motion (joined the £42M round at second close, May 2023), where CMOS scalability meets Sony's semiconductor expertise. Strategic co-investor, milestone-driven, never the lead.

Active Tokyo, JapanFounded 2016

Investment thesis

Sony Group's CVC arm (managed by Sony Ventures Corporation, Tokyo) backs quantum only where it overlaps with Sony's semiconductor DNA. Its single quantum bet is Quantum Motion: EMEA MD Antonio Avitabile called it 'the only company that today is actually building qubits on a semiconductor substrate', arguing CMOS-compatible silicon-spin qubits are the most scalable path.

Deal discipline is milestone-driven: technical milestones to validate scalability, small commercial milestones to bring in early cash, and the team invests 'in people, not in a company' (Giuseppe Scopece, Deputy Investment Director).

Joined Quantum Motion at the second close (May 2023) of the £42M round led by Bosch Ventures; was not named among returning backers in Quantum Motion's $160M Series C (May 2026).

Expect a strategic co-investor that brings Sony's semiconductor, manufacturing and hiring network rather than a lead check.

Anti-thesis

The patterns that trigger a fast no with this fund.

  1. One quantum deal in ten years of operation: Quantum Motion (second close, May 2023). No new quantum commitment since, and Sony was not named among returning backers in Quantum Motion's $160M Series C (May 2026)
  2. Strictly a follower: joined Quantum Motion's round at second close after Bosch Ventures led; expects others to price and structure
  3. Fund vehicles are mid-sized (SIF3 at ¥26.5B, SIF4 targeting ¥20B+), so quantum checks compete with AI, fintech, entertainment and climate deals across six verticals
  4. SIF4's mandate (April 2026) explicitly narrows to stronger strategic alignment with Sony Group's businesses, which raises, not lowers, the bar for standalone quantum hardware
  5. Thesis is hardware-CMOS specific; photonic, trapped-ion or neutral-atom approaches fall outside the stated rationale

Notable quantum portfolio

Full portfolio
Quantum Motion

Frequent co-investors