Google Ventures
Google Ventures (GV), the corporate venturing unit of internet search engine Google, declared in its 2013 year review that it had made 75 new investments and achieved 10 exits during 2013. Its portfolio now comprises a total of 225 companies, split by sector between consumer internet (33%), mobile (28%), commerce (18%), enterprise & data (11%), life sciences (6%) and energy (4%).
The review highlights how GV’s portfolio companies have been “changing the future” of medicine, transportation, energy, finance, education and shopping – such as CustomMade taking orders for 2,000 engagement rings.
GV names 65 deals in its 2013 review:
- January: Shape Security (series B), Flatiron Health (series A), Just.me (seed), MindSumo (seed), CircuitHub (seed).
- February: About.me (series A), Nextdoor (series A), Rabbit (seed).
- March: creativeLIVE (series A), Silver Spring Networks (IPO), Hired.com (seed), Namo Media (seed), MessageMe (seed), One Medical Group (series F), Osito (seed).
- April: Sold (seed), Robinhood (seed), Moonfrye (seed), Ionic Security (series A), Parse (acquired by Facebook).
- May: OnDeck Capital (series D), High Fidelity (seed), Astrid (acquired by Yahoo), CircleUp (series A), OpenCoin (seed), Play-i (seed), Airware (series A), Luvocracy (series B), Appurify (series A), Weotta (seed), Makani Power (acquired by Google).
- June: N3twork (series A), Disruptor Beam (seed), Subtext (acquired by Renaissance Learning).
- July: BackOps (series A), Apportable (seed), Nifti (seed), Swell (series A), RetailMeNot (IPO), SynapDx (series A), Le Tote (seed).
- August: Uber (series C), Buttercoin (seed), Cluster (seed), NoRedInk (seed), Carnival (seed), Rani Therapeutics (series B).
- September: AngelList (series A), Mitro (seed), Foundation Medicine (IPO), Plaid (seed), JumpCam (series A).
- October: the Climate Corporation (acquired by Monsanto), Loom (seed), mParticle (seed), URX (seed), Panorama Education (seed), OpenBay (seed).
- November: Sold (acquired by Dropbox), Building Robotics (seed).
- December: Homejoy (series A), YieldMo (series B), KeepTruckin (seed), The Orange Chef (seed), Collaborate (acquired by Cisco).
The Google Ventures fund, founded in 2009, will have another $300m to invest in 2014.
Intel Capital
Intel Capital, the corporate venturing and strategic investment unit of semiconductor chip maker Intel, declared that during 2013, it made 124 investments (52 new, 72 follow-on) totalling $300m, with approximately half of the investments made outside North America. In 2012, Intel Capital invested $352m in 150 deals.
In 2013, Intel achieved 28 exits (6 IPOs, 22 M&As) during 2013, including V-cube (Tokyo Stock Exchange), FocalTech (Taiwan Stock Exchange), Montage Technology (NASDAQ), YuMe (New York Stock Exchange), Aspeed Technology (Taiwan’s GreTai Securities Market), Tier3 (acquired by CenturyLink) , Virident Systems (acquired by Western Digital), Pando (acquired by Microsoft), and Solera Networks (acquired by Blue Coat).
Intel Capital states that it “will continue in 2014 to invest in new companies and innovative technologies worldwide and will continue our commitment to help entrepreneurs succeed, whether it’s through business development assistance or harnessing the power of Intel Capital’s brand equity or leveraging Intel’s global partnership knowledge and technology expertise.”
Qualcomm Ventures
Qualcomm Ventures, the investment arm of semiconductor and wireless technology company Qualcomm Inc., closed 33 new deals, made 36 follow-on financings, and achieved 6 notable exits in 2013: Waze, Validity, iOnRoad, Consert, Arteris and Arieso.
Qualcomm’s new investments were spread around the globe, as follows (excluding three deals still in stealth):
- Europe: Everplaces, Pult. Bitbar, Wrapp, Grand Cru, Fon
- North America: Matterport, Verve Wireless, Lookout, Playdek, Pelican Imaging, Kaleo, TempoAI, Fitbit, VirtualMetrix, Practice Fusion
- China: MadHouse, Accuvally, Hawkeye
- Israel: iOnRoad, Magisto, Tabtale
- Brazil: Zoop, 99 Taxis, Emprego Ligado
- India: Dexetra, Snapbizz, Deck
- Korea: EasyWorks, SeWorks