????你是不是創辦了一家創新的存儲初創公司？如果是這樣，電腦制造商戴爾（Dell）或許能給你投些錢。戴爾首席執行官邁克爾?戴爾在《財富》雜志（Fortune）美國阿斯彭技術頭腦風暴大會上（ Brainstorm Tech conference）表示，該公司正在籌建一只6,000萬美元的早期存儲基金。

????“戴爾向有前景的科技公司提供種子投資已經有很長的歷史了，”戴爾在會上表示。“我們真心相信智能手機和平板電腦很大程度上推動了當前數據爆炸式地增長。”

????戴爾曾經是VMWare和閃存初創公司Fusion-io的早期投資者【Fusion-io的首席科學家就是蘋果（Apple）的聯合創始人斯蒂夫?沃茲尼亞克】。據該公司稱，這家新設立的基金名為“戴爾流數據存儲基金”（Dell Fluid Data Storage Fund），將投資5-10家“有前景的存儲初創公司”。戴爾每輪將投資300萬-500萬美元，獲得所投資公司的股權。

????“我們的存儲投資將與戴爾流數據架構策略齊頭并進，最終為更多市場提供價格更適中、管理更便捷的存儲解決方案。”戴爾公司在周二發布的博客文章中寫到：“我們將從兩方面來改變存儲行業，一是將高端企業特色服務拓展到更廣闊的中端市場，二是以中等價位解決企業問題。”

????戴爾正在努力將自身從個人電腦制造商轉型為數據中心軟件、服務和技術的供應商，存儲是擺在它面前的幾個主要的機會之一。目前，筆記本電腦和臺式電腦的銷售額仍占戴爾收入的54%，但身為首席執行官的邁克爾?戴爾表示，如今的公司與4、5年前相比已經大不相同。

????“業務結構將出現巨大的變化，”戴爾說。但這位公司創始人兼CEO也承認，他還需要做很多宣傳和說服的工作，很多CEO和首席信息官都對戴爾進入軟件和存儲這些新領域感到意外。戴爾不僅投資那些有助于公司轉型的企業，同時也在大舉收購初創公司（最近的收購案例包括Quest Software和Wyse Technology），戴爾還說，公司在存儲和其他戰略性領域還將繼續這種做法。

????“光今年我們就已投入50億美元用于收購，”戴爾說。“存儲領域正在發生翻天覆地的變化，未來我們會繼續在這個領域進行收購。”

????譯者：早稻米

????Got an innovative storage startup? Dell may want to give you some cash. The computer maker is launching a $60 million early stage storage fund, announced by CEO Michael Dell at Fortune's Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen.

????"Dell has a long history in seed investments in interesting technology companies," Dell told the audience at Brainstorm. "We really believe in this explosion of data driven a lot by smartphones and tablets."

????Dell was an early investor in VMWare and flash memory startup Fusion-io (whose chief scientist is Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak). According to the company, the new so-called "Dell Fluid Data Storage Fund" will invest in five to ten "promising storage startups." Dell will invest $3 to $5 million per round, and obtain equity positions in the companies it invests in.

????"Our storage investments will align to the Dell Fluid Data architecture strategy with the end game of bringing more affordable and easier to manage storage solutions to more of the market," the company said in a blog post published today. "We are looking to change the economics of the storage industry by doing two things -- bringing high-end enterprise features to the broad mid-market and solving enterprise problems at a midrange price point."

????Storage represents one of several big opportunities for Dell, as the company tries to transform itself from a PC maker to a provider of software, services and technologies used in data center. Sales of laptops and desktops still account for 54% of Dell's revenue, but CEO Dell says it's a "very different company that it was four to five years ago."

????"The business mix is changing pretty dramatically," said Dell. But the founder and CEO also admitted he has a lot of evangelizing to do, and that many CEOs and CIOs he meets with are surprised when they hear about the newer businesses Dell has entered, like software and storage. Dell hasn't just invested in companies that help propel its transformation, it's also aggressively acquiring startups (recent acquisitions include Quest Software and Wyse Technology) and Dell said the company will continue to do so, in the storage space and other strategic areas.

????"We've spent $5 billion on acquisitions just this year," said Dell. "The storage world is really getting shaken up a tremendous amount and you'll see us continuing our acquisitions in that area."