Cisco invests in Outlook search start-up Xobni

Cisco has invested in Xobni, the start-up that makes an Outlook plug-in and was once rumored to be acquired by Microsoft. Cisco's investment is part of a $7 million B Round funding by Cisco and Xobni's existing investors, Khosla Ventures, First Round Capital, Baseline Ventures, and Atomico. As explained by Microsoft Subnet blogger, Mitchell Ashley, "Xobni is a social networking plugin for Outlook that digs into your Outlook PST file, exposing connections and conversations you've had through e-mail directly and indirectly with others."

According to the company, the plug-in has been downloaded 1.5 million times "and evolve[d] into an application deployed by Fortune 500 enterprises." It has signed strategic partnerships with Yahoo for Yahoo Mail, Facebook, Hoovers, Skype and LinkedIn.

Blogger Om Malik notes that Cisco's investment "is part of its continuing tussle against Microsoft over the concept of collaboration." and follows its acquisition of presence and messaging software provider Jabber in September, and e-mail and calendaring software maker PostPath in August. 

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• Cisco
• collaboration
• e-mail
• Microsoft
• Microsoft Outlook
• start-up
• Xobni