Cisco concluded the first-ever Cisco Startup Summit aimed at empowering India’s deep-tech startup ecosystem. At the summit, Cisco announced the evolution of Cisco LaunchPad into Cisco for Startups to assume a more significant mandate of expanding business alignment with deep-tech startups. This transformation aims to enhance visibility, co-innovation, and outcomes, and empower entrepreneurs to realize their true potential.
The summit was attended by some of India’s most prominent investors, mentors, and ecosystem partners such as NASSCOM, TiE, Zinnov, German Accelerator, U.S. Embassy, Ideaspring Capital, WaterBridge Ventures, and Stellaris Venture Partners, among many others. Over 230 startups participated in the summit. Some of the key highlights of the event were:
- A demonstration of the 5G-connected ambulance built in partnership with Airtel 5G and Cisco-accelerated Teslon Technologies to enable smart healthcare for patients: This ambulance transmits the patient’s complete telemetry data in real-time to doctors and experts at the hospital, thus saving lives on the move. A joint Cisco-Teslon whitepaper was released that underlines how Cisco and Teslon have taken tele-heath solutions across the length and breadth of the country and beyond.
- A tour of Cisco for Startups Lab and the immersive VR experience center, Kalki, that enables portfolio startups to fast-track the process of demonstrating their value proposition to prospective clients. Startups from emerging verticals such as SpaceTech, AgriTech, Logistics, and Healthtech showcased their co-innovations in this metaverse space.
- The unveiling of the Cisco Startup Playbook, a detailed, comprehensive roadmap for startups in the exploration, build-up, and scale-up phases of their entrepreneurial journey. The playbook compiles how Cisco’s extensive portfolio of technological stacks shall fuel startups’ growth across multiple industry verticals.
In addition to this, there were also unique sessions, such as the ‘Open Innovation Mixer’, featuring dialogues with leaders on how startups and corporate collaborations can result in a win-win scenario; ‘Carbon Dating,’ that included networking and masterclasses focused on sustainability”; and a ‘Spotlight WomEntrepreneur,’ segment highlighting the growth and impact women entrepreneurs are making across industries, followed by a Shark Tank session with investors across the ecosystem.
Emphasizing the power of partnerships in the innovation ecosystem and the role it plays in forging new possibilities for people across the country,Daisy Chittilapilly, President, Cisco India & SAARC, said, “Cisco for Startups is a significant step in our commitment to empower the next generation of deep-tech startups in India. As we work to bridge the gaps in India’s most critical sectors, we believe startups will lead the way in addressing our biggest challenges. The CFS program will arm startups with access to platforms powered by emerging technologies like metaverse, augmented and virtual reality, as well as an ecosystem of investors, mentors, and government and industry bodies to help them innovate solutions quickly and at scale.”
Since its inception in 2016, Cisco has accelerated 60+ startups over eight successful cohorts and, through its portfolio of startups, treated 5000+ patients, helped disburse $2 million for farmer loans, and created 3000+ jobs. Additionally, 60% of its portfolio startups are focused on selling globally across regions. The platform has driven innovation from the grassroots in partnership with industry bodies, universities, and mentors. Cisco for Startups will further strengthen Cisco’s commitment to building a startup stack to spearhead digitisation under Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program in the critical areas of manufacturing, maritime and ports, healthcare, agriculture, education, and smart communities.
