Qualcomm Ventures has announced new investments in four companies to help advance innovation and accelerate 5G adoption within the ecosystem.
The investments were made through Qualcomm Ventures’ 5G Ecosystem Fund.
The companies include Celona, an enterprise networking platform provider that brings 5G to enterprises; Cellwize Wireless Technologies, a global enabler in mobile network automation and orchestration; Azion, a provider of edge computing platform solutions; and Pensando Systems, a company which specializes in enterprise and cloud computing.
Qualcomm Ventures said it has already invested over $170 million in the global 5G ecosystem to support 5G innovation and drive 5G adoption.
“Qualcomm is leading the world to 5G and creating a robust ecosystem of technologies that will usher in the new era of connectivity. We are committed to supporting companies with the vision to realize 5G’s potential impact on the mobile ecosystem, and its ability to reshape industries entirely.” said Quinn Li, SVP, Qualcomm Technologies and global head of Qualcomm Ventures. “We are thrilled to support Celona, Cellwize, Azion and Pensando Systems to scale their businesses and accelerate 5G deployment and adoption.”
Qualcomm Ventures also has been investing in companies including Affirmed Networks, Altiostar Networks, Airspan Networks, Beijing Baicells Technologies, Jio Platforms Limited, among others.
Along with capital investments, Qualcomm Ventures provides entrepreneurs access to Qualcomm Technologies expertise and networks.
“As 5G continues to evolve, networks are shifting to a more open and virtualized model, and that is true for private networks too. In addition to being more flexible and open, automation and edge computing will be key features to seamlessly manage future 5G networks and support low latency applications. Qualcomm Technologies, through our 5G RAN platforms, is dedicated to support this shift and enable new and innovative 5G network deployments,” said Durga Malladi, SVP and GM, 4G/5G, Qualcomm Technologies. “As a part of this initiative, we are pleased to be working with companies such as Celona, Cellwize, Azion and Pensando Systems on this evolution of enterprise networks, and we are eager to collaborate with other companies to transform industries and use cases with 5G technologies.”
“Celona is excited to work with Qualcomm Technologies as we push the boundaries of wireless connectivity in the enterprise,” said Rajeev Shah, CEO and co-founder at Celona. “With private 5G, the entire industry needs to rethink enterprise wireless networks from product architectures to go-to-market models. We are looking forward to connecting with Qualcomm Technologies’ vast ecosystem of technology partners to lead the industry in enabling 5G connectivity in the enterprise.”
“Qualcomm Technologies is an industry leader in spearheading the research and development of technologies that are making the 5G connected world a commercial reality” said Ofir Zemer, CEO of Cellwize. “We are very excited to be working together on this important and impactful mission, and to collaborate on accelerating 5G.”
Qualcomm Ventures has invested a total of $1.5 billion in tech startups since the group started in 2000.
