Excited about startups in 'wearables’ space: Intel Cap

Arvind Sodhani, executive vice-president of Intel Corporation and president of Intel Capital, has been spearheading the chipmaker's investments in technology companies since 2005. Last month, Intel Capital announced an investment of $65 million in 16 startups across nine countries. In an interview, Sodhani, 58, said too much regulation can hamper entrepreneurial growth.

What is your strategy for India investments next year? Which are the sectors that will get most investment?
We still have about $50 million left in our $250-million India fund. So, we still have some dry powder. Consumer internet is a big focus for us in India now. We have invested in this round in a taxi aggregator company Savaari. We have previously invested in e-commerce in India in companies such as Snapdeal, Healthkart and FashionandYou. E-commerce has barely scratched the surface in India, given the current state of infrastructure and the fact that retailing is not as developed or centralised as in western markets, there are few places here consumers can go to for all their needs. Prime retail space is very expensive in India. All these are factors that will benefit growth of e-commerce startups. We have also invested in cloud computing and data analytics companies in India, besides software and mobility.

Do you feel that technology startups in the 'Wearables' space can change the way of computing in future?
We are excited about startups in the 'Wearables' space. Wearables have an interesting phenomenon. They generate a lot of data over their usage which can be transmitted or stored in smartphones and tablets cloud wirelessly, which is typically used for analytics. We have invested in companies such as Thalmic Labs which makes armbands that can move things around wirelessly. Recon Instruments is another of our portfolio startup which makes heads up wearable displays (glasses) for athletes.

What is Intel Capital's typical investment cycle?

Typically, we take stakes less than 20% of the company and can remain invested from three to 10 years. We invest in startups globally through our balance sheet, except for India and China where we have allocated separate funds of $250 million and $500 million, respectively.

How do you differ from other VCs?

We are investing in countries that other VCs don't even take a flight to. We have invested $440 million in Japan alone. We are investing in the entire Asia Pacific region and recently concluded about half a dozen deals in Malaysia and Singapore. Perceptual computing, gesture recognition, speech recognition, security and personal assistance are great areas for investing in developed markets such as Taiwan and Japan.

What's your view on the FDI regulations in India in the online retail commerce, since you are already invested in a few e-commerce companies as a foreign investor?

All our investments are under the ambit of law. Opening up the markets and allowing market forces to act freely, can be a very powerful economic force. It's particularly true in India where there are too many regulations for each sector.

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