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It helps to be from Cisco when looking for start-up funding

VCs admit a bias towards ex-Cisco officials when considering business plans

By Cisco Subnet on Tue, 11/24/09 - 3:47pm.

Here's a tip when pitching a business plan to venture capitalists for funding: play up your Cisco pedigree. VCs acknowledge that coming from Cisco makes a difference when they evaluate whether or not to fund what they feel is a viable business plan.

The breadth of exposure - development, operations, sales and marketing, and distribution across a range of technologies - at Cisco is unmatched, some say. Cisco is also good at fostering a start-up like atmosphere that keeps key people from an acquired company around for a few years.

That way, they get immersed in the operations of a $40 billion behemoth before the start-up bug starts itching again.

So if faced with two identical business plans and all other factors being equal, would the Cisco graduate get the funding over a non-Cisco presenter? 

"Yes," says Jason Matlof, a partner at Battery Ventures. "Everything else being equal, yes. It's not a coincidence that two of the four companies in my portfolio are founded by Cisco people."

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JumpForward & SharkTank

0
By Entrepreneur (not verified) on Wed, 11/25/2009 - 5:35pm.

As someone who is a serial entrepreneur, I got hooked on a show called ABC's Shark Tank that highlights start-ups. In the season finale of the Shark Tank, JumpForward pitched its idea.

One of people pitching the solution, Adam McCombs, mentioned that he worked for Cisco. I found a video clip: http://www.vimeo.com/7465598

They were able to secure $600K from the VCs on the Shark Tank. I guess it does work....

look like

0
By Anon (not verified) on Sat, 11/28/2009 - 1:48am.

they jump the shark.

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About Cisco Subnet Blog

The Cisco Subnet blog is written by Network World managing editor Jim Duffy and is the official blog of Network World's Cisco Subnet community. The Cisco Subnet site is managed by Online Community Editor Julie Bort. Cisco Subnet is the independent voice of Cisco customers and is your gateway to daily Cisco news, blogs, opinion, books, prize giveaways and more. Visit the Cisco Subnet home page daily and while you are there, subscribe to the Cisco Alert e-mail newsletter, which includes news and views generated by the Cisco Subnet community as well as Cisco-related stories on Network World and elsewhere on the Web.