Cisco Investments is the investment arm of Cisco Systems, Inc., focused on direct and fund of funds investments primarily in the technology sector. With a strong emphasis on areas such as big data and analytics, the Internet of Things, data centers, software as a service, security, and semiconductor technology, Cisco Investments targets start-ups, early-stage, later-stage, and pre-IPO companies. The firm has a global investment strategy, concentrating on regions including China, Israel, India, and select opportunities in Russia and beyond. In India, it particularly seeks to support growth-stage companies in next-generation technologies related to security, cloud, smart cities, and healthcare. Cisco Investments operates from its headquarters in San Jose, California, with an additional office in Moscow, Russia, and boasts a team of over 40 professionals with deep market and technology expertise. With an active portfolio of approximately $2 billion and involvement in over 80 direct investments, Cisco Investments has a notable history of facilitating successful IPOs and acquisitions for its portfolio companies.
Vice President and Corporate Development and Investments
Past deals in Networking
Aviz
Venture Round in 2023
Aviz Networks focuses on enhancing data center and edge network operations through its development of open-sourced network operating systems. The company provides platform and ASIC agnostic applications for network orchestration, monitoring, and enterprise-grade support, facilitating deployments of SONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud). By leveraging cloud-native applications, Aviz aims to promote open-source networking and enable data-driven intelligence for multi-vendor network environments. Their approach transforms traditional appliance-based networking use cases into software-defined systems, allowing cloud network operators to efficiently deploy and manage secure, integrated, and certified network solutions.
Isovalent
Series A in 2020
Isovalent, Inc. specializes in developing software solutions for enterprises to connect, monitor, and secure workloads in cloud-native environments. The company's flagship product, Cilium, leverages eBPF to enhance networking, security, and observability for Kubernetes deployments across both cloud and on-premises infrastructures. Isovalent offers Cilium Enterprise, which focuses on security automation, compliance, and integration with legacy systems, along with open-source tools that facilitate network connectivity, threat detection, and security compliance monitoring. Founded by the creators of Cilium and eBPF, Isovalent serves a diverse clientele, including major organizations like Adobe, AWS, and Google. The company was established in 2016 and has its headquarters in Cupertino, California, with an additional office in Zurich, Switzerland.
PubNub
Series D in 2019
PubNub, Inc. is a company that provides a Data Stream Network (DSN) and an easy-to-use API, enabling developers to create and manage real-time applications and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco, PubNub offers solutions that facilitate various functionalities such as live dashboards, real-time collaboration, and machine-to-machine signaling. With over 70 software development kits (SDKs) available for different platforms and a global data transfer time of approximately 250 milliseconds, PubNub's infrastructure supports scalability for hundreds of millions of devices. Its services cater to a diverse range of industries, including healthcare, gaming, social media, ridesharing, food delivery, fleet management, e-learning, and IT/DevOps.
Actility
Series D in 2017
Actility S.A., founded in 2010 and headquartered in Lannion, France, is a leader in Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) and specializes in machine-to-machine communication solutions. The company's flagship platform, ThingPark, provides a carrier-grade Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure that supports scalable deployments of mission-critical applications. ThingPark facilitates the connection between sensors and cloud applications, accommodating a wide range of use cases from global networks to secure enterprise solutions. Actility features a growing ecosystem of partners and offers middleware that enables seamless integration of data from various sensors. Additionally, the company operates a B2B e-commerce marketplace that connects businesses with vetted IoT device, connectivity, and application providers. As a founding member of the LoRa Alliance™, Actility is committed to advancing IoT technologies and fostering collaboration within the industry.
VeloCloud
Series D in 2017
VeloCloud Networks, Inc. is a provider of cloud-based networking services specializing in software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN). The company focuses on improving network performance over various connections, including private, broadband Internet, and LTE links. VeloCloud's SD-WAN solutions enable enterprises to automate deployment and enhance connectivity to cloud and enterprise applications through a choice of public, private, or hybrid cloud networks. Their offerings include branch office appliances, optional data center appliances, and software-defined control and automation, facilitating efficient virtual services delivery. By optimizing access to cloud services and private data centers, VeloCloud empowers clients with policy-based access to critical applications, making it a notable player in the increasingly distributed enterprise landscape.
PubNub
Venture Round in 2016
PubNub, Inc. is a company that provides a Data Stream Network (DSN) and an easy-to-use API, enabling developers to create and manage real-time applications and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco, PubNub offers solutions that facilitate various functionalities such as live dashboards, real-time collaboration, and machine-to-machine signaling. With over 70 software development kits (SDKs) available for different platforms and a global data transfer time of approximately 250 milliseconds, PubNub's infrastructure supports scalability for hundreds of millions of devices. Its services cater to a diverse range of industries, including healthcare, gaming, social media, ridesharing, food delivery, fleet management, e-learning, and IT/DevOps.
LiveAction
Series B in 2016
LiveAction, Inc. specializes in application-aware network performance management and quality-of-service (QoS) control solutions. The company offers a network performance management tool, LiveAction, which assists enterprises and network professionals in monitoring, analyzing, and configuring networks, including QoS, NetFlow, LAN, WAN, routing, and IP SLA. Additionally, LiveAction provides the LiveNX Server Appliance, a dedicated hardware appliance for its network management platform. Its services include voice and video optimization, application performance troubleshooting, WAN bandwidth management, capacity planning, performance baselining, cybersecurity, and management solutions for CISCO IWAN. LiveAction caters to a diverse range of sectors, including government, education, healthcare, financial services, transportation, energy, utilities, and retail, among others. Founded in 2008 and based in Palo Alto, California, the company was previously known as ActionPacked Networks, Inc. before rebranding in February 2014.
Veniam
Series B in 2016
Veniam is a technology company focused on enhancing future mobility and creating more human-centric environments through intelligent networking software. The company develops vehicular mesh networks that transform vehicles into Wi-Fi hotspots, expanding wireless coverage in urban areas. Veniam's solutions cater to various sectors, including delivery fleets, dash-cams, telematics, connected cars, and autonomous vehicles. With a robust portfolio of over 140 issued patents, the company optimizes data transmission across diverse networks, such as 4G, 5G, and V2X, ensuring efficient and secure communication between vehicles and the cloud. By enabling the Internet of Moving Things, Veniam aims to improve the lives of millions by facilitating smarter mobility, enhancing internet access, and collecting valuable data for smart city initiatives. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Mountain View, California, Veniam also has an engineering center in Porto, Portugal, and sales offices in Detroit, Munich, and Tokyo.
VeloCloud
Series C in 2016
VeloCloud Networks, Inc. is a provider of cloud-based networking services specializing in software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN). The company focuses on improving network performance over various connections, including private, broadband Internet, and LTE links. VeloCloud's SD-WAN solutions enable enterprises to automate deployment and enhance connectivity to cloud and enterprise applications through a choice of public, private, or hybrid cloud networks. Their offerings include branch office appliances, optional data center appliances, and software-defined control and automation, facilitating efficient virtual services delivery. By optimizing access to cloud services and private data centers, VeloCloud empowers clients with policy-based access to critical applications, making it a notable player in the increasingly distributed enterprise landscape.
6Wind
Venture Round in 2015
6Wind S.A. specializes in designing and developing high-performance networking software for a diverse clientele, including individual developers, Fortune 500 companies, and the telecommunications sector. The company offers a range of solutions such as network function virtualization, software-defined networking, and various security applications. Notable products include 6WINDGate, a packet processing software enabling large-scale deployment of high-performance networks, and the 6WIND Virtual Accelerator, which enhances virtual infrastructures. Additional offerings include the Turbo Router, suitable for both bare metal and virtual environments, and secure site-to-site VPN solutions for data center interconnection. Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France, with offices in the United States, China, Japan, and South Korea, 6Wind is recognized as a market leader in vRouter solutions, allowing clients to optimize operations and reduce costs through software-based virtualization.
Aquantia
Series H in 2015
Aquantia Corp specializes in the design, development, and marketing of high-speed communication integrated circuits for Ethernet connectivity, targeting data center, enterprise infrastructure, and access markets. The company creates solutions that serve as a crucial link between high-speed analog signals and digital information in computing and networking equipment. By focusing on delivering advanced data speeds, Aquantia addresses network bandwidth bottlenecks arising from the rapid increase in Internet Protocol traffic. With a team of experts experienced in technology development and signal processing, Aquantia is well-equipped to innovate in the fast-evolving landscape of Ethernet solutions.
Wilocity
Series D in 2013
Wilocity Ltd. develops 60 GHz wireless chipsets for the notebook and peripheral markets. Its wireless solution provides gigabit wireless networking and point-to-point connectivity. The company's gigabit wireless semiconductor solution brings a desktop experience to mobile computers. Wilocity Ltd. was founded in 2007 and is based in Caesarea, Israel.
Grid Net
Private Equity Round in 2010
Grid Net is a software company that specializes in network management solutions for the utility sector, focusing on enhancing the capabilities of smart grid technologies. Its flagship product, the Machine-to-Machine Network Operating System, is designed to manage grid devices and advanced applications across various network types, whether public or private, wired or wireless. By providing open and interoperable communications products, Grid Net enables utilities to implement secure and scalable smart grid services, including smart metering. The company aims to support strategic deployments that deliver immediate returns and long-term value for its clients. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, with additional offices in Sydney, Melbourne, and Tokyo, Grid Net is supported by prominent investors, including Intel Capital and Cisco Systems.
China Communications Services
Private Equity Round in 2006
China Communications Services Corporation, Ltd. (CCS) is a provider of network construction, outsourcing, content application, and other services for communication operators, media operators, equipment manufacturers, private wire network, government agency and enterprises, and institutions in China. China Communications Services is the first productive service enterprise in the communication industry that went public abroad. The company is approved by the State Council and State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, which is registered in the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.
SAN Valley Systems
Series C in 2002
SAN Valley is a privately held Silicon Valley company whose mission is to deliver high reliability, cost effective, next generation storage infrastructure solutions to enterprise and service providers worldwide. SAN Valley is developing high performance end-to-end optical edge access products to address the multi-billion dollar market opportunity for delivering value-added storage connectivity into enterprise, service provider and carrier networks.
Looking Glass Networks
Debt Financing in 2001
Provider of data transport services. The company's network includes approximately 2,000 route miles serving 14 major metro markets, with lit fiber connectivity to approximately 215 buildings.
iPass
Venture Round in 2000
iPass Inc. is a provider of mobile connectivity services, offering cloud-based solutions that enable users to access a vast Wi-Fi network. Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Redwood Shores, California, iPass operates one of the world's largest Wi-Fi networks, with over 57 million hotspots across more than 120 countries. These hotspots are located in airports, hotels, train stations, convention centers, and various outdoor venues, including inflight services. The company utilizes its proprietary SmartConnect™ technology to automatically connect users to the most suitable hotspot, ensuring a seamless and secure experience. iPass serves a diverse customer base, including Mobile Network Operators, Mobile Virtual Network Operators, and various other mobile service providers, assisting them in managing costs and enhancing their service offerings through reliable Wi-Fi connectivity. iPass operates as a subsidiary of Pareteum Corporation.
Cogency Semiconductor
Series B in 2000
Cogency Semiconductor specializes in developing semiconductor chips designed for home networking applications. The company focuses on powerline networking and communications technology, enabling consumers to share internet connections and stream digital audio and video seamlessly. By utilizing existing power outlets, Cogency's solutions facilitate the networking of personal computers and various consumer entertainment devices, providing a convenient and efficient way to enhance home connectivity.
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