Most Active Internet Of Things Investors In The Last 5 Years

Intel Logo

Internet Of Things (IoT) Investors

A recent BI Intelligence report claimed that the Internet of Things (IoT) is on its way to becoming the largest device market in the world.

Quite naturally, such exponential growth of the IoT market has prompted a number of high-profile corporate investors and smart money VCs to bet highly on this comparatively still nascent industry.

IoT Investors

CB Insight report stated that the funding of  IoT startups has more than doubled over the last five years. Amongst the most active IoT startup investors since 2010 were Intel Capital at number one, followed by Qualcomm Ventures at the second spot.

Interestingly, the venture arms of both the tech giants have been particularly focused on sensor companies and wearable startups. Industry observers are of the view that because their core business model is heavily reliant on the design and manufacture of ever-smaller chips that power, both Intel and Qualcomm are more inclined to see IoT startups as strategic assets.

In 2015, Intel Capital led a particularly successful round to BodyLabs, a startup that deals in 3D body-scanning sensors. Apart from that, the company invested in Sano Intelligence, another fast-growing developer of biometric sensors.

Other IoT infrastructure startups that bagged rather lucrative investments from Intel Capital include Bocom Intelligent Network Technologies, SigFox, and Stratoscale.

Similarly, Qualcomm Ventures have also been showing great interest in emerging brands such as drone manufacturer 3D Robotics and Whistle Labs, a dog wearable manufacturer. In addition, the company also have invested in sensor networks made by Placemeter, Panoramic Power and Streetline.

Foundry Group and KPCB made it to the third rank in the list of top IoT investors. While Foundry Group seemed particularly focused on hardware manufacturers such as Fitbit, MakerBot and LittleBits, KPCB has been investing across a diverse range of IoT niches including auto, home automation, as well as wearables.

By Brent Anderson

David Cantor
These are monumental topics that command volumes of diligent research, backed by empirical evidence and citations from subject-matter experts. Yet, I’m afraid we don’t have the time for this. In 2022, I had a video ...
Alex Dean
Enabling Privacy and Personalization Most businesses today rely on data collected online to better understand their customers and deliver more personalized products, services and experiences. These insights can be transformative for an organization, especially when ...
Ray Meiring
Fueled by extensive demand in IT, healthcare, financial services, and telecommunication—initially spurred by the pandemic-driven frenzy to transition to remote working—managed service providers (MSPs) are busier than ever. As businesses adopt MSP services to upgrade, ...
Ron Cadwell
Net Zero Emissions Designs Sustainability has become an increasingly frequent topic of discussion for data center operators, with many pledging to be carbon-free as soon as 2030. But are these commitments a response to the ...
Gary Bernstein
AI-powered identity verification Even if you don’t want to admit it, doing business online in today’s environment poses a greater risk. Criminals are constantly on the lookout for vulnerabilities to exploit, including hacking, data breaches, ...
Ronald van Loon
In 2030, AI will likely contribute around $15.7 trillion to the global economy. Organizations that invest significantly in AI and leverage practices that accelerate and scale AI development have been shown to gain the highest ROI from AI ...