SoftBank has taken a stake in Roomba-maker iRobot, people familiar with the matter said, as the Japanese company builds its holdings in robotics firms.
SoftBank Group Corp. has built a less than 5 percent stake in iRobot Corp., below the amount that would require a regulatory disclosure in the U.S., the people said, asking not to be identified because the purchase was private. The Bedford, Massachusetts-based technology company has a market value of $2.4 billion.
Shares in iRobot rose 22 percent in late trading in New York. Representatives for SoftBank and iRobot declined to comment.