Just finished my internship

Jeez, time flies :) May 2008 feels like yesterday, the month I started my internship at Intel Capital in the Software and Solutions Group; and yesterday it was my last day of internship. The experience was wonderful to say the least. It wasn't less than drinking water from a firehose. The team at Intel Capital is fantastic - I am privileged to work with and learn from the people who have been investing in companies of all stages for the last 15 years. They have seen the evolution of the VC industry as it passed through ups and downs Vis-a-vis the transformation of Intel Capital (from just a strategic investor to a full-fledged VC powerhouse). Which other VC firm can make more than 150 deals in an year and a single investment of $1B!

I worked on two of the most active and dynamic sectors in the software industry - Software as a Service (SaaS) and Software for Mobile Internet Devices. It was a great sojourn - wonderful learning opportunity intracting with people with diverse perspective and background - VCs, Business Unit heads, CEOs, investment bankers, research analysts, and consultants such as Jeff Kaplan from THINK IT Services - who have been envisioning and riding the SaaS Wave as it proliferates from just a new point based, low TCO solution for SMBs in early 2000 to challenging the incumbents in the Enterprise Software space at their own turf.

On the mobile side, the market is changing at a rapid pace. The convergence of smart phones and laptops is creating a new space for Mobile Internet Devices, providing greater mobility and Internet browsing capability to the millions of people across the globe. Several new business models and technological changes are accelerating the pace of innovation - open mobile development platforms(the likes of Moblin, Android, Symbian, etc), Open Source, WiMax & 3G deployments, new processors & platforms (Centrino Atom), dedicated VC funds for mobile investments (iPhone Fund, Blackberry Partners fund, etc.), and the successful launch of iPhone 3G and AppStore, to say the least.

So, as I look back at my experiences this summer, I will share my PERSONAL learning and opinion on the Mobile and SaaS sectors. You'll also see more coverage of the happenings in the Mobile and especially the SaaS sectors in my blog from now onwards.