Intel Capital Pours $62 Million into 16 IT Startups

Intel’s (INTC) investment arm Intel Capital said it has invested $62 million in 16 IT startups involved in a range of technologies—including wearables, mobility, SoC development, the Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics and smart devices.

The chip giant, in disclosing the investments at its 15th annual Intel Capital Global Summit in Huntington Beach, California, said it expects to invest a total of $355 million this year, up 7 percent from the $333 million it invested last year.

Intel is one of Silicon Valley’s more active investors. Since 1991, Intel Capital has infused about $11 billion in some 1,400 companies in 57 countries. This year, as of Oct. 31, Intel Capital has invested $344 million in 120 investments including 55 new deals.

“Intel Capital invests in the technology continuum that runs from wearables and the Internet of things to big data analytics—and everything in between, including silicon, smart devices, PCs, the cloud and data centers,” said Intel Capital president Arvind Sodhani. “We are focused on helping innovative companies develop across this technology ecosystem.”

In general, Intel’s made investments in areas strategic to the chip maker’s business. The recipients’ founders include Braigo Labs’ 13-year-old Shubham Banerjee, who invented a low-cost Braille printer for the blind using Legos and Intel Edison chips, and Sundari Mitra, a 25-year semiconductor industry veteran launching NetSpeed, her second startup.

At $35 million, one of Intel’s larger investments went to Gigya, a San Francisco-headquartered, cloud-based ID management developer whose technology helps online businesses and publishers manage customer logins. With this latest funding round, Gigya has raised a total of $104 million, according to TechCrunch.

From Intel, here’s a list of the companies receiving startup funding:

New Devices/Wearable Computing

Avegant (Redwood City, California)—Developing the Glyph, a mobile personal theater that uses a micromirror display with built-in premium audio.

Braigo Labs (Palo Alto, California)—Developed Braigo v1.0, a Lego Braille printer that lowers the price from $2,000 to $350.

Eyefluence (Reno, Nevada)—Develops powerful, low-power, eye-tracking technology.

Mobility/Wireless

Andapt (Santa Clara, California)—Builds analog adaptive products for multifunction sensor integration and integrated system power management.

Audyssey (Los Angeles, California)—Audio technologies that correct acoustical problems to improve the sound quality of any device or listening environment.

Incoming Media (Santa Clara, California, and Sydney, Australia)—Mobile video platform that uses predictive data analytics and intelligent content pre-loading to learn how a viewer consumes video on a mobile device.

Inrix (Kirkland, Washington)—Develops technology to relieve traffic congestion using big data analytics and predictive technology.

Screenovate Technologies (Israel)—Develops technology to enable smartphone and tablet users to wirelessly beam movies, games, presentations, or other content.

Thundersoft (China and Taiwan)—Mobile OS core technology and solution provider for Android smartphone and tablet services.

Advancing Microprocessor and SoC Development

NetSpeed Systems (Mountain View, California)—System-on-chip (SoC) design platform and advanced on-chip network solutions.

Reno Sub-Systems (Canada)—Subsystems used to control process systems made by OEMs.

Big Data and Cloud Infrastructure

Gigya (San Francisco)—Cloud-based ID management developer whose technology helps online businesses and publishers manage customer logins.

PilotTV (Taiwan)—Digital signage network operator that designs, deploys and jointly operates digital signage systems for retail venues.

PrecisionHawk (Raleigh, North Carolina)—Developed a small, unmanned aerial vehicle and cloud-based software to collect, process and analyze aerial data.

Prelert (Framingham, Massachusetts)—Packages data science into downloadable applications for everyday users.

Stratoscale (Israel)—Develops new technology to rethink next-generation data centers.

Ossia (Redmond, Washington)—Develops smart antenna technology.