Qualcomm this summer announced plans to invest $150 million in Chinese startups, and it has cracked that new fund open to put $40 million into five different organizations in the country, including voice-recognition startup Unisound and games development firm Chukong.
The other companies on the receiving end of the U.S. chip-maker’s money include eye-tracking technology company 7Invensun, smart home company inPlug, and a new China-focused fund from Walden International, a 25-year old investment firm with an existing footprint in the country.
Qualcomm, which has a portfolio of over 120 startups worldwide, didn’t specify exactly how much it has invested in each company, but it did praise each one for its “innovative” mobile and wireless technology products.
“With a focus on semiconductors, mobile application enablers, smart home and healthcare, this group of startup companies closely complements existing products and services from Qualcomm Incorporated’s subsidiaries. We look forward to working with these innovative companies… to help propel them forward in the competitive wireless ecosystem,” said Qualcomm Venture’s VP Nagraj Kashyap in a statement.
Chukong is a particularly interesting investment for Qualcomm. The Chinese company raised a $50 million Series D round last year, and it partnered with Facebook this past October to offer the social network’s full suite of services to developers and startups in China, where it is, of course, blocked.
San Francisco-based Walden claims over $1.6 billion in investments, which includes deals with GoPro, fashion-focused social network Clozette.co, and digital media firm Brandtology. Qualcomm highlighted the firm’s track record in investing across semiconductors, digital media, software and IT services, all of which are all segments of interest to the chip company.