Mark Rostick
By Allan Maurer
RALEIGH, NC – Good venture investing can be counter-cyclical and a bit counter-intuitive, says Mark Rostick, director of East Coast investments for Intel Capital. That’s why Intel continues to invest even in downturns. “If you have the capital, it’s a good time to invest when the market slumps. It creates opportunities. You hope the value of those investments then rise with the tide when the economy comes back.”
That situation also gives companies a time to mature before they have to ramp up sales, he adds.
He recalls that one of the great industrial titans once remarked that when his shoeshine guy gave him stock tips, it was time to get out of the market. “If you invest at the top of the market when everything is crazy, you don’t always make the best returns.”
Rostick is one of more than 50 Internet experts, thought leaders, executives, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists slated to participate in Digital East in Tysons Corner, VA, Oct. 18.
Social networking over hyped
Rostick covers all areas of investment focus for Intel with particular interest in internet, semiconductor, wireless and communications opportunities. “Outside of making good investments, we invest in stuff that’s complementary to our products,” he says, “mostly in software and products.” Anything that increases computer or server use, which would in turn increase use of Intel products, such as cloud computing, fits the bill.
Social networking, however, may be a bit overhyped, he notes, and green tech, while it gets a lot of attention, poses some risk. “We made a few investments there (in green tech). He sees a big opportunity in the development of sensors and monitors that network factories and buildings in the machine to machine sector.
Intel also spends a good bit of time looking at consumer Internet opportunities. “Location-based services have been a dream for a long time,” but recent developments are driving more interest in those, he says.
Mobile device management opportunities
Mobile device management is another area where Rostick says he sees “a lot of opportunity,” as do the proliferation of devices.
“When I get on a plane, I see people with their Kindle or their iPad or iPhone out. One of the big stories is just the proliferation of those devices as broadband becomes available everywhere. Everyone thought, “Gee, I’ll trade in one device for another,’ but I’m seeing just more of them, not replacement devices.”
Delivery of apps across those devices is another potentially profitable arena for Intel investments. “We see a lot of opportunities in software platforms that span those devices,” he says.
There is also little doubt that apps moving to the cloud presents another big opportunity. “It’s a shift in the way work is done in computing and anytime there is a big shift we spend a lot of time there,” says Rostick.
Rostick, who lives in Raleigh, NC, says he wants to be sure people know that Intel is active in the Southeast. “We are active in the region and in the market looking for investments.”
To contact TechJournal South Editor & Writer Allan Maurer: Allan at TechJournalSouth dot com.
Southeast Venture Conference, February 29 – March 1, 2012 at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner, VA – Where Smart Money Meets Smart People.
www.seventure.org
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Tags: cloud computing, Digital East, green tech, Intel Capital, Intel investments, Mark Rostick, social networking
