Cisco to invest $150 million in global startup community

Cisco Systems said that it will invest $150 million over the next two to three years to fund early-stage companies and further foster innovation in the global startup community

"Cisco has been an investor for two decades -- a total of 80 investments for about $2 billion and is focused on next horizon "themes" to accelerate the development of disruptive technology markets, including big data and analytics; the Internet of Things (IoT); connected mobility; storage; silicon; the content technology ecosystem; and India innovation," the company said ina statement.

"Cisco Investments also announced it has made three minority investments in IoT accelerators and startups Alchemist Accelerator, Ayla Networks and everything. The new funding increases Cisco Investments' thematic investing to $250 million total, adding to the previously announced $100 million commitment to startups focused on the emerging Internet of Everything (IoE) market opportunity," it siad.

"A new emphasis for Cisco Investments is to accelerate the development of the portfolio companies by connecting them to expertise and resources such as Cisco IT, Cisco's business leaders and Cisco's network of partners and customers through major industry events, such as the annual Cisco Live," a release said.

"We gain valuable insight and an understanding of market trends through equity investments in young and interesting companies who are leading the way through new market disruptions. Our investments in Alchemist Accelerator, Ayla Networks and Everything align with our focus on early-stage innovation and companies focused on the Internet of Things," said Hilton Romanski, senior vice president, Cisco Corporate Development.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with Cisco on an Internet-of-Things-focused Accelerator. The resources, mentorship, and connections across Cisco and Alchemist offer a synergistic foundation for IoT founders looking for deep industry partnerships and expertise, with a network designed to champion founder interests," said Ravi Belani, managing director, Alchemist Accelerator.

"Cisco Investments was quickly able to grasp the huge potential for Ayla's Agile IoT platform technology and business model," said Dave Friedman, co-founder and CEO, Ayla Networks.

"The Internet of Things represents one of the largest opportunities in technology, and Ayla is fortunate to be able to access the resources, expertise, and relationships that Cisco Investments can bring," said Friedman.

"We're delighted to be working with Cisco on the Internet of Everything," said Niall Murphy, CEO, Everything.

"This round of funding allows us to further Everything's mission to help businesses connect every product to the Web with its own intelligent online identity," said Murphy.