Intel Takes Lead Role In Venture Funding Most Active Investor In Tech Shift in focus: Venture arm once dabbled in dot-coms; now it's zeroing in on Wi-Fi.(A)

Byline: JAMES DETAR

The name of the top high-tech venture investor in 2002 may surprise you.

It isn't some high-profile venture capital firm. It's semiconductor maker Intel Corp.

Intel Capital is the chipmaker's venture arm. It put about $200 million into 100 companies worldwide last year.

VentureWire newsletter says that makes Intel Capital the most active investor last year, in terms of numbers of start-ups backed.

Intel Vice President John Miner says the company's basic objectives haven't changed much since 1990, when Intel formed the unit.

Miner co-manages the Intel Capital program along with Les Vadasz, who was the third employee to join Intel in 1968.

But Intel is sinking money into different kinds of companies today than it did a couple of years ago, Miner says.

"There has been a change in …