Cisco LaunchPad
- Company typePublic
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersBangalore, India
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Cisco LaunchPad firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cisco LaunchPad
- Legal name
- Cisco Systems, Inc.
- Website
- https://cisco.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1984
- Operating status
- Operating
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cisco LaunchPad industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Startup Accelerator / Corporate Innovation Program
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM), Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)
Keywords
Where Cisco LaunchPad is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bangalore
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cisco LaunchPad business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales: Sale of networking hardware including switches, routers, wireless access points, optics/transceivers, and servers. Major product lines include Catalyst switches, Nexus switches, Meraki cloud-managed devices, Cisco UCS servers, and Silicon One-based systems. Revenue is one-time at point of sale with potential for maintenance/support attachments.
- Software Subscriptions: Subscription-based software offerings including Cisco DNA Software, Meraki dashboard, Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, Nexus Dashboard, ACI, and networking software subscriptions. Provides continuous innovation, licensing flexibility, and predictable recurring revenue. Billing typically annual or multi-year.
- Enterprise Agreements: Cisco Enterprise Agreement (EA) enables customers to buy and manage software through one simple agreement, providing flexibility to manage networks on-premises, in the cloud, or hybrid environments with volume benefits.
- Security Services: Security portfolio including Cisco Duo (MFA), Umbrella, XDR, Secure Access (SSE/SASE), Hypershield, AI Defense, Email Threat Defense, and firewall solutions. Offered as subscriptions, per-seat licensing, or platform-based pricing.
- Collaboration/Webex: Webex collaboration suite including Webex Suite for hybrid work, contact center, conferencing, and customer experience solutions. Revenue from subscription licensing.
- Support and Professional Services: Cisco Customer Experience (CX) services including Cisco Support, Cisco Professional Services, Success Tracks, Lifecycle Services, and training/certifications. Provides implementation, optimization, and ongoing support.
- Cisco Capital Financing: Flexible payment options through Cisco Capital enabling customers to make purchases with no upfront costs and spread payments over time, supporting larger deal sizes.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Full-Stack Volume Discount: Up to 25% off networking products |
| Freemium | Monthly | Security Free Trials and Offers |
| Subscription | Annual | Cisco Enterprise Agreement |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels12 records
Cisco LaunchPad product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cisco LaunchPad is a corporate startup accelerator program that provides early-stage technology startups with technology and business advisory services. It offers mentorship, access to Cisco's engineering resources, and ecosystem connections to help startups develop enterprise-grade solutions. The program operates cohort-based engagements focused on technologies relevant to Cisco's enterprise networking, security, and AI infrastructure portfolio.
Product overview
Cisco offers a comprehensive enterprise technology portfolio organized into five core categories: Networking (switches, routers, wireless, optics, Silicon One processors), Security (AI Defense, Duo, Hypershield, ISE, Secure Access, XDR, Umbrella, firewalls), Collaboration (Webex Suite, devices), Computing (UCS servers, Intersight management), and Observability (Splunk, ThousandEyes). The portfolio is unified through software platforms including Catalyst Center, Cisco Meraki, Nexus Dashboard, and cloud management. AI capabilities are embedded throughout via AgenticOps autonomous agents, AI Canvas, Cisco IQ, and AI Assistant. Cisco Silicon One provides the foundational programmable silicon architecture across all networking roles from access to core, enabling AI-optimized operations at scale. The company serves enterprises, service providers, hyperscalers, and industrial environments with integrated security, observability, and automation across the entire network stack.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Cisco Meraki: Cloud-managed networking platform for switches, wireless, security, and mobile device management
- Webex
- Cisco Duo
- Cisco Catalyst
- Cisco Nexus
- Cisco Silicon One
- Cisco Intersight
- Cisco Hypershield
- Cisco IQ
- Splunk
Products and services
- Cisco LaunchPad Accelerator Program
Quantifiable outcome
- Network availability improved to 99.97% across 1700 sites
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Cisco LaunchPad
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments12 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Cisco LaunchPad technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
AI capability15 records
Feature11 records
Cisco LaunchPad partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.
- Splunk (Cisco subsidiary)coreSplunk operates as a Cisco subsidiary providing security (Splunk Enterprise Security, Splunk SOAR), observability (Splunk Observability Cloud, Splunk IT Service Intelligence), and AI solutions. Products are fully integrated into Cisco's security and observability portfolio with cross-selling and co-development. Multiple integrations across security operations, application performance, and IT operations.
- Microsoft TeamsstrategicCisco devices certified and optimized for Microsoft Teams Rooms, enabling hardware-software integration for conference rooms and collaboration spaces. Cisco collaboration endpoints (cameras, headsets, phones) work with Teams platform.
- Microsoft AzurestrategicMicrosoft is an early adopter of Cisco Silicon One, having expanded from initial use cases to multiple roles in data center, WAN, and AI/ML environments. Quote from Dave Maltz (Microsoft): 'The common ASIC architecture has made it easier for us to expand from our initial use cases to multiple roles.'
- DDN (DataDirect Networks)coreDDN provides AI storage integrated with Cisco Silicon One G300-powered Nexus platforms. DDN CTO Sven Oehme stated: 'Cisco's Silicon One G300-powered Nexus platforms provide the deterministic, high-bandwidth fabric required for agentic and GPU-dense environments.'
- MetastrategicMeta announced plans to deploy OCP-inspired Cisco 8501 switch combining Silicon One G200 processor with Cisco-designed hardware system. Partnership at Open Compute Project (OCP) Global Summit demonstrating hyperscaler adoption of Cisco silicon.
- NutanixstrategicCisco hyperconverged infrastructure solutions integrated with Nutanix, providing combined compute, storage, and networking for data center modernization. Joint go-to-market for hyperconverged deployments.
- ArelionstrategicArelion uses Cisco optics for global connectivity infrastructure. Daily collaboration on network improvements with focus on transparency and deep understanding of network performance for customer experience. Quote: 'We talk with Cisco on a daily basis about how we can make the network better.'
- Lumen TechnologiesstrategicLumen reshaping networks for AI economy using Cisco networking to create true multicloud architecture with direct paths between multiple data centers, multiple clouds. CTO Dave Ward leads architecture transformation.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cisco LaunchPad competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- T-Hub (Telangana): One of India's largest innovation hubs and startup accelerators, based in Hyderabad — a regional peer to Cisco LaunchPad competing for the same Indian startup ecosystem.
- NASSCOM 10,000 Startups: India's flagship industry-led startup program providing mentorship, investor access, and enterprise introductions to Indian tech startups — comparable in mission and geography to Cisco LaunchPad.
Direct peers
- Microsoft for Startups: Microsoft's flagship corporate accelerator program providing Azure credits, mentorship, and enterprise go-to-market support to early-stage startups globally, including a strong India presence — directly comparable to Cisco LaunchPad's model.
- Intel Ignite: Intel's corporate accelerator focused on early-stage AI, deep tech, and enterprise startups — a peer in the corporate accelerator space targeting startups that align with Intel's platform and customer ecosystem.
- Google for Startups: Google's global corporate accelerator and founder program offering Google Cloud credits, AI/ML tooling, mentorship, and cohort-based programs in multiple regions including India — a like-for-like peer to Cisco LaunchPad.
- NVIDIA Inception: NVIDIA's corporate accelerator for AI startups providing GPU access, technical mentorship, and enterprise introductions — directly comparable to Cisco LaunchPad as a corporate-led program targeting AI/infra startups.
- AWS Activate: Amazon Web Services' startup program offering cloud credits, technical support, and go-to-market resources to early-stage founders globally — comparable to Cisco LaunchPad in targeting Indian and global tech startups.
- Oracle Cloud Startup Accelerator: Oracle's corporate startup program providing cloud credits, technical resources, and enterprise customer introductions — a peer in the corporate accelerator category competing for the same pool of B2B startups.
- SAP.iO Foundries: SAP's corporate startup accelerator program offering B2B enterprise go-to-market and integration with SAP's ecosystem — comparable to Cisco LaunchPad in operating a corporate-led enterprise-focused startup program.
- Qualcomm Innovation Labs / India Accelerator: Qualcomm runs corporate accelerator initiatives in India and globally targeting deep-tech and telecom/edge startups — a regional and category peer to Cisco LaunchPad.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Cisco LaunchPad social profiles
Digital presenceCisco LaunchPad compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Cisco LaunchPad financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cisco LaunchPad leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Cisco LaunchPad subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Cisco LaunchPad funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cisco LaunchPad M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cisco LaunchPad
What does Cisco LaunchPad do?
Cisco LaunchPad is a corporate startup accelerator program that provides early-stage technology startups with technology and business advisory services. It offers mentorship, access to Cisco's engineering resources, and ecosystem connections to help startups develop enterprise-grade solutions. The program operates cohort-based engagements focused on technologies relevant to Cisco's enterprise networking, security, and AI infrastructure portfolio.
Is Cisco LaunchPad a public or private company?
Cisco LaunchPad is a public company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Cisco LaunchPad founded?
Cisco LaunchPad was founded in 1984.
Where is Cisco LaunchPad based?
Cisco LaunchPad is headquartered in Bangalore, India, in the Asia region.
How does Cisco LaunchPad make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are software Subscriptions, enterprise Agreements, security Services, collaboration/Webex, support and Professional Services and cisco Capital Financing.
Who are Cisco LaunchPad's main competitors?
Regional players on record are T-Hub (Telangana) and NASSCOM 10,000 Startups. Direct peers are Microsoft for Startups, Intel Ignite, Google for Startups, NVIDIA Inception, AWS Activate, Oracle Cloud Startup Accelerator, SAP.iO Foundries and Qualcomm Innovation Labs / India Accelerator.
Does Cisco LaunchPad have an API?
Yes. Cisco provides extensive developer resources through DevNet, including APIs, data models, hands-on Learning Labs, live-tech sandboxes, and developer-focused events. The Networking App Marketplace features more than 350 ready-to-use networking applications developed by technology partners leveraging Cisco APIs and AI. Developer documentation is at developer.cisco.com.
What industry is Cisco LaunchPad in?
Cisco LaunchPad's product category is Startup Accelerator / Corporate Innovation Program. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAHAD, Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs, with a secondary code of FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated). Its NAICS code is 61171.