Intel Capital president
Arvind
Sodhani welcomed an audience of about 400 to the Intel Capital CEO Summit at
the La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, Calif., this morning, offering an overview of
several technology trends and hitting a theme that pervades this event:
Portfolio companies can learn a lot from strategic investors.
For example, even startups must focus on building a strong brand. That can help
young companies "push back the commoditization clock even further," Sodhani
said.
The presentation was also a bit of a pep talk. Of the 400 companies in
Intel
Capital's portfolio, eight have gone public, and 29
were
acquired. That's a middling batting average, but Sodhani said he's
"absolutely delighted" with the results to date.
"The BlackBerry, which is made by RIM, was an Intel Capital portfolio company,
so you, too, can some day be a BlackBerry," he said.
Sodhani also revealed that this year is starting to shape up much like Intel
Capital's record 2006. During the first quarter, the Intel Corp. unit invested
$154 million in 20 new deals, half of which were outside the U.S. Already this
year, seven of Intel Capital's portfolio companies have been acquired; two,
including wireless service provider Clearwire Corp., have gone public.
—Olaf de Senerpont Domis
See
Infectious Greed post
See
profiles of Intel Capital companies
See
list of Intel Capital exits
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