Intel Capital invests $62m in 16 new companies with focus on cloud, mobile, IoT and analytics

Investment arm of chip-maker Intel is to invest a total of $355m this year

Intel Capital, the global investment arm of chip giant Intel, has invested in 16 new companies covering a range of areas within IT, including big data analytics, the Internet of Things and cloud computing.

The organisation has invested in Gigya, a Mountain View, California-based maker of a cloud-based customer identity-management platform that supposedly helps clients turn unknown web or mobile visitors into loyal and engaged customers.

Another US-headquartered company it has invested in is drone technology maker PrecisionHawk. The Raleigh, North Carolina-based company uses a small, unmanned aerial vehicle and cloud-based software to collect, process and analyse aerial data for clients within "civilian industries".

In the internet of things sector, the company has invested in Braigo Labs, a company founded by 13-year-old entrepreneur Shubham Banarjee. The company currently makes a Braille printer that is made out of a Lego robotics kit.

Other technology companies Intel Capital has invested in include Incoming Media, a mobile video platform that uses predictive analytics to learn how a viewer consumes video on a mobile device, and PilotTV, a digital signage network operator that was founded in Taiwan.

"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 centres," said Arvind Sodhani, president of Intel Capital and Intel executive vice president.

"We are focused on helping innovative companies develop across this technology ecosystem, and we expect to invest a total of $355m this year."