Intel is planning to sell assets in venture capital arm for $1bn

Intel is planning to sell some assets of Intel Capital as a part of the ongoing restructuring of its investments division. It has mandated UBS Group AG to look for potential buyers.

According to Bloomberg, the California-based chip-maker is looking for a buyer who would purchase its assets housed within Intel Capital, worth almost $1bn (£709m).

"Discussions over the structure of the sale are at an early stage, with Intel open to selling the assets as a whole or divided by geography or sector focus.... The portfolio, which is made up of companies across the world, is housed within Intel's corporate venture unit, Intel Capital," sources told the news agency. Intel is expecting to sell the assets to private equity firm.

Intel Capital is the venture capital, merger and acquisition arm of the business, which was started in 1991. Since then it has invested more than $11.64bn in 1,440 companies across 57 countries. In 2015, it invested more than $514m in 143 companies.

However, the firm is trying to consolidate its portfolio to focus on core sectors and companies that complement Intel's offering and its future roadmap. "First and foremost, we want to invest in companies that complement our business strategies," Wendell Brooks, Intel Capital's new president, said in a blog post.

"We plan to continue investing at a robust $300-$500 million annual pace, focused across the full spectrum of technologies where Intel excels. We will play a bigger role in sourcing deals and leading teams of investors that complement what we do."

Some of the companies where Intel Capital had invested include AVG, Box, Broadcom, BSoft, CNET, Citrix Systems, Clear2Pay, Cloudera, Kingsoft, LogMeIn, Ninebot/Segway, RedHat, Rediff.com, Research in Motion (Blackberry), V-cube, VMware, WebMD and more.