Dell Ventures on Thursday announced $300 million Strategic Innovation Venture Fund.
The fund will enable Dell to invest in early-to-growth-stage companies in emerging technology areas including storage, cloud computing, big data, data center, security and mobility.
The Strategic Innovation Venture Fund is Dell’s second major investment fund and builds on the $60 million Dell Fluid Data Storage Fund announced last year.
Dell has already invested in several startups that have contributed to Dell’s storage and end-to-end solutions innovation.
“Dell is committed to bringing the most innovative, affordable and easy to manage technology solutions to our customers. To accomplish this, we will aggressively pursue organic investment in R&D, acquisitions and venture investing,” said Brian Gladden, Dell Chief Financial Officer.
Dell Ventures model is to co-invest with venture capitalists and other strategic investors, acting as a board advisor and making the full breadth of Dell resources available to the portfolio company. These resources include technical and business counsel, as well as access to brand scale, OEM solutions, channel and go-to-market relationships.
Jim Lussier, managing director of Dell Ventures, said: “Since we launched our storage venture capital fund last year, we have not only had positive returns on our investments and great deal flow, we have also identified companies and technologies that will help accelerate IT innovation, and more importantly, provide the best solutions for our customers.”
In 2013, more than 17 percent of all venture deals involved at least one corporate VC and the percentage of dollars put into those deals by corporate VCs has doubled from 2009 levels.
“If current trends continue, 2013 could be the first non-bubble year since 1995 that corporate groups have provided more than an estimated 10 percent of total venture dollars,” said Bobby Franklin, National Venture Capital Association President.
Dell provides access to the technology, financing, networks and knowledge they need to turn a great idea into a successful, growing business through the Dell Center for Entrepreneurs.
