Intel Capital invests $17m in three Indian companies(2)

Intel Capital, the venture arm of semiconductor giant Intel, has invested roughly $17 million (€11 million) in three India tech companies.

The commitments to Yatra.com, BuzzInTown.com and Emnet Samsara Media will be made from Intel Capital’s $250 million dedicated India fund, launched in December 2005. The corporate venture firm, currently led by president Arvind Sodhani, began investing in India in 1998.

Yatra, a late-stage business travel website, hopes to capitalise on the growing Indian travel sector by providing a range of online travel management services. Early-stage startup BuzzInTown is an entertainment-oriented social network accessible across web and mobile platforms. The company intends to use Intel Capital financing to expand its services into 30 more cities.

Advertising company Emnet Samsara develops high-tech media advertising platforms, specialising in advertising on buses and other forms of public transportation.

Previous Intel Indian investments include ITZ Cash, a provider of prepaid debit cards, and Maya Entertainment, a computer animation studio for film and television.

Last year, Intel Capital invested roughly $639 million in 166 deals, with 37 percent of funds committed outside the United States.