The SOFTBANK Corp. affiliate now holds a 39 percent interest in Webhire (HIRE) from the investment and a separate, private transaction.

Also, SOFTBANK affiliate Yahoo! (YHOO) took a $1.5 million stake.

Webhire, a leading ASP in the business-to-business Net recruiting marketplace, will use the funds to improve Net growth plans, which includes content upgrades and aggressive marketing strategies.

"Because of SOFTBANK and its affiliates' support, we've been able to accelerate our execution of our overall strategy to lead the marketplace by providing business-to-business Internet recruiting solutions directly over the Internet," said Marty Fahey, Webhire president and chief executive officer."

SOFTBANK Corp. and its affiliates hold interest in more than 100 Net companies, including Yahoo!, ZDNet and E*TRADE (EGRP)