Cisco Investments

What is Cisco Investments?

Cisco Investments is the corporate venture capital arm of Cisco Systems, focusing on startup, seed, early stage, and later stage investments. They specialize in a wide variety of sectors including big data, analytics, SaaS applications, infrastructure, Internet of Things, and semiconductor sectors.

They support innovative technology-driven companies that align with Cisco's strategic interests, covering areas like Mass Scale Infrastructure, Cloud Services, Collaboration, Data Center Networking, Emerging Technologies & Incubation, Enterprise Networking, Internet of Things, ITOps, Security Services & CX, Silicon & Optics.

With a global footprint, Cisco Investments not only provides capital but also gives access to Cisco’s resources, such as its sales and marketing teams, and its extensive customer network.

The firm takes a dual approach, balancing strategic intent and financial returns. It looks to invest in solutions that are cloud-native, facilitate IT operations, enhance enterprise networking, provide secure connectivity, and bring forth data management and network automation innovations.

Their portfolio includes over 100 companies and more than 50 investments in venture funds, signifying an active role in the venture ecosystem. The Aspire Fund within Cisco Investments focuses on promoting diversity within the technology community, aiming to contribute to positive progress through a more inclusive global network.

Based in San Jose, California, Cisco Investments also has locations worldwide, including San Francisco, Singapore, Shanghai, Tel Aviv, Bangalore, Hong Kong, and London. With an investment range from as low as $1,000 to a maximum of $29,700,000, with a sweet spot of $3,000, they cater to various funding requirements of early, seed, and later stage companies. Their expertise comprises equity investments and participation in Fund of Funds, boasting assets under management worth $70,000,000.