Mobile internet and green IT are among the five hot technologies venture capitalists are looking to invest in.
The five technologies have been highlighted by Intel Capital, the venture investment arm of the microprocessor giant. Intel Capital scouts for promising technology companies and invests in them either as acquisitions or to exit when they end up going public.
Ashish Patel, managing director of Intel Capital, said the five investment priorities are "clean" technology, mobile internet, digital media, healthcare and emerging markets.
Clean tech produces low amounts of carbon or contributes to its reduction and Intel is particularly keen on investing in photovoltaic technology, which captures and converts solar energy.
Patel said: "Europe has a tonne of clean tech intellectual property that we're not investing in. We are aggressively looking at a number of applications in this space."
Another big area is mobile internet, which encompasses both wireless broadband and WiMax. Patel said: "We're really bullish about the internet going mobile."
Digital media — the third key tech investment area — includes the convergence of technologies driven by the internet, such as online gaming and unified communications as well as business processes, including online payments.
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With healthcare, Intel's aim is to help the development of devices that improve the daily lives of patients and make the work of healthcare professionals easier.
An example of this kind of technology is the Mobile Clinical Assistant which has been developed by Intel with Motion Computing and is currently being trialled.
The final theme is investment in emerging markets such as the Bric countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), which are growing at a significantly higher rate than other economies.
Patel said: "Russia is one of those countries with an unbelievable amount of innovation."
In general, Patel said the level of European venture investment is well below the US. He said: "We're probably at a tenth of where the US industry is."
