From Wiki:

"Intellectual Ventures was founded as a private partnership in 2000 by Nathan Myhrvold, Edward Jung of Microsoft, Peter Detkin of Intel, and Gregory Gorder of Perkins Coie, a Seattle-based law firm. They reportedly have raised over $5 billion from many large companies including Microsoft, Intel, Sony, Nokia, Apple, Google, SAP, Nvidia and eBay, plus investment firms such as Charles River Ventures. Reported statistics indicate over 30,000 purchased patents and applications[3] and over 2000 internally-developed inventions. Licenses to patents are obtained through investment and royalties.[4]"

The head guy for IV used to be the head of technology for Microsoft,Many other ex Microsoft people there also