Cisco to invest $3-5 million in Indian start-ups

Cisco is looking forward to invest $3 million to $5 million in Indian enterprise into SaaS start-ups for a minority stake. The company has a portfolio of about 10 start-ups that it has already invested in directly or through investment partnerships with VC funds. There are some of the start-ups in its portfolio in India including Whatfix, Videonetics, Mobikwik, Mobstac and CloudCherry.

Pankaj Mitra, Director and India Head, Cisco Investments & Acquisitions said, globally we invest about $100 million to $200 million every year, from Series A to late-stage growth investments. There is no specific allotment to India, because we don’t operate that way. India investments may ebb and flow according to the opportunities we see in the market and the strategy we want to execute. The sweet spot for our India investments would be in the $3 million to $5 million range”.

Cisco has also made investments in Aavishkaar, a venture fund founded to promote development in rural and semi-urban India; in tech-focused start-up fund Stellaris Venture Partners; and in Chiratae Ventures.

Asked what percentage of the investment allocation is direct, he said: You will see us make more direct investments than indirect investments. If you look at Cisco globally, we have got 120 plus active portfolio companies and 45 plus LP funds all over the world. And so, we typically steer more towards direct investments.