Sunday, March 30, 2025

Image Credits: SOPA Images / Contributor / Getty Images

It's the end of an era for what many consider to be the first true corporate venture capital firm: Intel Capital announced plans this year to spin out from Intel.

To mark the occasion, Rebecca Szkutak spoke to the firm's vice president and senior managing director, Mike Rostick, who first joined back in 1999. He said plans to make Intel Capital a stand-alone firm started to become more concrete last fall: "We thought our track record merited attention from outside investors."

Other changes seem to be afoot, with four longtime managing directors recently leaving the firm — although an Intel Capital spokesperson said the departures weren't related to the spinout.

Weekend news and opinion

Image Credits: Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch

Africa's largest startups, based on valuation: With funding returning to pre-pandemic levels, Tage Kene-Okafor highlights Africa's most valuable startups — unicorns like Flutterwave, OPay, and Andela, as well as "soonicorns" like PalmPay and Moove.

Data centers love solar: In news that may reassure anyone worried about the climate impact of power-hungry AI, tech companies and data centers have announced 12 solar deals over 100 megawatts since the beginning of 2025. Tim De Chant rounds them up.

AT Protocol apps go beyond Bluesky: While Bluesky is by far the most prominent social app built on the open AT Protocol, it's not alone. Sarah Perez explains that other apps using the protocol run the gamut from photo- and video-sharing to alternative Bluesky clients to blogging.

A Message from TechCrunch

Final call to save up to $320 — TC All Stage offer ends tomorrow

Last chance to save — prices go up after tomorrow, March 31! Join 1,200+ founders, VCs, and scaling experts at TechCrunch All Stage on July 15 in Boston. Gain insights from breakouts, roundtables, and elite networking. Hear from leaders like Charles Hudson (Precursor Ventures) and Chris Gardner (Underscore VC). Secure your spot now at the lowest price!

What else we're reading 📗

We've all seen examples of AI-generated art and writing, but The New York Times is offering readers a new way to test how their own intelligence stacks up, with an escalating series of puzzles that are supposed to be easy for humans but tough for AI. (I skipped the puzzles because I don't want to know.)

Also, with the Trump administration's recent national security controversy, 404 Media writes about what to do when your threat model is being a moron.

A Message from TechCrunch

From seed to scale — TechCrunch All Stage unites founders and VCs

Ready to scale? Founders and VCs, don't miss TC All Stage on July 15 in Boston. Two stages focus on early-stage growth and post-Series A scaling, with breakouts, roundtables, and top-tier networking. Learn from leaders like Cathy Gao (Sapphire Ventures), Jahanvi Sardana (Index Ventures), and more. Save up to $320 with Early Bird pricing — ends March 31!

Before you go 🎬

Marvel did a five-hour, slow-motion livestream to reveal the cast of the next "Avengers" movie, but now you can watch the whole thing in just a minute and a half.