Arun Chetty, managing director, Intel Capital
Dave Flanagan, senior managing director and vice-president of Intel Capital, the corporate venture capital (CVC) arm of US-headquartered chipmaker Intel, said of managing director Arun Chetty: “Arun has a well-documented and successful investment track record that spans over 20-plus years. Arun’s deep knowledge and passion for technology as well as his strong history and commitment to company building have made Arun a well-respected and valued investor in the startup and venture capital community.”
- First, just give us a quick overview of who you work for, what you do, and how long you have been doing it.
I am a managing director with Intel Capital. I am one of the lead investors within Intel Capital in multiple areas. Over the years, I have covered investments in communications (4G and 5G), connectivity technologies, client technologies and AI at the edge, the internet of things (IoT), enterprise software, gaming, augmented, virtual and mixed reality (AR/VR/XR), semiconductors and human-machine interfaces (HMI) and biometrics technologies.
- What attracted you to CVC?
I have an engineering background from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. CVC allowed me the opportunity to work closely with Founders, learn about the latest developments and contribute to the growth of the entrepreneur’s vision. CVC in particular has its advantages due to the access to tremendous resources within Intel, not just Intel Capital. These resources are helpful in both the deal evaluation phase as well as in helping the companies connect with real opportunities post our investment.
- What have been your greatest successes at your unit?
Some of my best investments include VeriSilicon (2020 initial public offering), Babble Labs (2020 acquisition), Espressif Semiconductor (2019 IPO), Telink Semiconductor (2017 acquisition), Delta ID (2017 acquisition), Mindmeld (2017 acquisition), Recon Instruments (2015 acquisition), Validity (2013 acquisition), Aicent (2011 acquisition) and LanDesk (2006 acquisition). My current investments and board responsibilities include Bluestacks, Avaamo, NextInput, OnScale, Axonne and AdHawk Microsystems.
- What have been your biggest challenges?
The biggest challenges, and yet at the same time the most rewarding, are when a company’s original strategy had not proven correct but has a strong technical team and assets, and helping the company pivot to a new strategy leveraging those assets. Sometimes this would involve changing out some of the team members, especially on the product and go-to-market side. These are difficult decisions but it is rewarding when the company emerges successfully.
- What is your main professional ambition for the future?
Helping Intel Capital step up to the next level. Intel Capital has come a long way and is now a well-recognised leader that has a strong team focused on both financial returns to Intel as well as strategic relevance to Intel. Intel Capital has also finetuned its operation over the years to be a nimble investing organisation. I believe we have the opportunity to use this platform to elevate Intel Capital to a level where when a repeat entrepreneur is thinking of his or her next project, Intel Capital is one of the few firms they go to. This is where we need to get to.
I would also like to contribute to the growth of CVCs in general by sharing some of my key learnings over the years as a CVC.
- What do you think all CVCs could do better to make it a stronger industry?
CVCs have a lot of things in common. I really do believe that we can build a much stronger network and share best practices. I also think that it is not a CVC versus VC thing. There needs to be equally close working relationships with VCs.
I would also add that CVCs could do a better job of managing their constituencies within their organizations to ensure that the CVC function is 1) an integral part of the corporate strategic framework and 2) thought of a group that delivers value over a longer-term, so as to not be thrashed by quarterly or annual fluctuations in the corporation’s core business.
- What are some of your corporate parent’s technology needs and corporate strategy amid the pandemic, as well as your CVC unit’s pain points?
Yes, the pandemic has required working very differently as a CVC. My sense is we have adapted quickly and the pace of deals/exits etc. seem to have turned out well. However, as a team, I do believe that it has been hard to keep the cohesiveness. The five-minute hallway chats, a coffee in the company cafeteria with a colleague, lunch with an entrepreneur, going to a conference and running into peers all added up to keep the energy and spirit with our colleagues and peers within and outside Intel Capital. This does require a concerted effort to make sure we call our peers in the industry for a quick call now and then and stay in touch. We hope to be able to socialise with our peers in 2021!
- And, finally, for colour, what did you do prior to CVC or in your spare time?
Prior to CVC, I was in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and finance, and prior to that, I was an engineer at places such as DuPont and Brookhaven National Labs. In my spare time, I love to bike up hills, travel with my family and read non-fiction.
Tianlin Wang, managing director and China country manager, Intel Capital
Regarding managing director Tianlin Wang, Intel Capital vice-president and senior managing director Anthony Lin said: “Tianlin leverages his deep tech knowledge and prior years of experience as an engineer at Intel to provide valuable counsel to our portfolio companies. He understands the many challenges that entrepreneurs face from both on the business and technical side and is a trusted resource and adviser for our portfolio companies. He has built a strong team and has added immeasurable value to our investment programme.”
- First, just give us a quick overview of who you work for, what you do, and how long you have been doing it.
I am managing director and China country manager of Intel Capital. After joining Intel Capital China in 2016, he was promoted to lead Intel’s equity investments in China in 2017. My major focus is technology innovation start-ups aligned with semiconductor, cloud computing, IoT, artificial intelligence and wireless communication. As China has started supporting technology companies to go public on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s Star Market since 2019, Intel Capital China has six portfolio companies with successful initial public offerings (IPOs) on Star: Montage, EspressIf, EazyTec, VeriSilicon, Ninebot and Supcon. I am the lead investor for EspressIf, EazyTec, Huaqin, GCM, EEasy and Air Touch. In addition, I have served as board director or observer in over 20 other portfolio companies including UniSOC, Ninebot/Segway (689009), Horizon Robotics and AWCloud.
- What attracted you to CVC?
Professionally, I am able to create strategic and financial returns for both entrepreneurs and Intel. Personally, I like helping others. Tech entrepreneurs are some of the brightest and most hard-working persons in the world. I enjoy being one of the first few trusted persons for founders to call, whenever they run into blocks along the way. I was an engineer myself for 10 years at Intel, and know-how to navigate the organisation and create value. Intel holds a very open mindset in collaborating with ecosystem partners, Intel Capital is a very powerful brand name on the market.
- What have been your greatest successes at your unit?
As an individual investor, I led six – mostly early-stage – strategic deals since 2016, delivered three successful exits including two IPOs (EspressIf and EazyTec) and all others in significantly up-round.
As a leader of Intel Capital China, I completely rebuilt the investment team in 2017, ramped up the team up quickly with a solid deal pipeline (five to eight deals per year) in 2018, spent a lot of time and energy helping portfolio companies and delivered six IPOs between 2019 and 2020.
- What have been your biggest challenges?
Leading a multinational corporation’s CVC team to navigate a fast-growing and fast-changing market with lots of opportunities and challenges. Capital is abundant in China, good deals are always heated especially in the technology sector and related to semiconductors.
- What is your main professional ambition for the future?
Be a trusted partner for entrepreneurs. Consistently creating strategic and financial returns for entrepreneurs and Intel.
- What do you think all CVCs could do better to make it a stronger industry?
Consistently deliver value-add to entrepreneurs. Always deliver or over-deliver what you committed. Take a long-term approach, do not make short-term decisions. Exploit all resources along the value chain to help the entrepreneurs, be friends with them, coach them, hold their hands along ups and downs.
- And, finally, for colour, what did you do prior to CVC or in your spare time?
I have over ten years of business experience in product development, innovation management, business development and risk management in various geographies in Israel, China and the United States. I started my professional career as a wireless engineer at Intel Corporation in 2005, then managed an R&D and marketing group within Intel’s Centrino division in the United States and Israel. I moved back to China in 2014 then led business development and risk management division in Intel’s PC and mobile business unit.
I hold a bachelor of engineering degree in telecommunication from the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, a master of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Oklahoma and an MBA from the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania.
In my spare time, I enjoy swimming, playing badminton, hiking and travelling with my family. Every vacation is part of the journey to find a place to retire!
