Pankaj Patel Joins JC2 Ventures as Partner and Chief Strategy Officer
Pankaj Patel / JC2 Ventures Partner and Chief Strategy Officer
PALO ALTO, Calif. – January 7, 2020 – JC2 Ventures, a purpose-driven venture capital firm focused on helping global startups to scale, grow, and deliver solutions for a digital future, announced today that it has appointed Pankaj Patel as Partner and Chief Strategy Officer. Patel previously served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer for Cisco Systems. In this role, he was responsible for running and growing multi-billion-dollar products and businesses across service provider and enterprise market segments. He reported to the CEO as the engineering head of the company’s $36.8 billion product and solution portfolio and drove the business and technology strategy across Cisco’s Routing, Switching, Wireless, Security, Mobility, Video, Collaboration, Data Center and Cloud offerings, delivered by a global team of more than 28,000 engineers. Pankaj was also responsible for defining the priorities and investment allocation of $6 billion in R&D spend annually. He played a key role in acquiring and helping integrate many start-up companies during his tenure of more than 20 years at Cisco.
At JC2 Ventures, Patel will focus on determining strategic investment areas, as well as working with various startups within the portfolio to help ensure their success in the market and in development. He will also represent JC2 Ventures and its portfolio startups in front of the media, industry stakeholders, partners, and customers.
“After working with Pankaj for more than 20 years, I am thrilled to have him join the JC2 Ventures team as Partner and Chief Strategy Officer,” said John Chambers, Founder and CEO of JC2 Ventures and former Executive Chairman and CEO of Cisco.
“Pankaj was instrumental in driving so many product innovations and in transforming the Cisco portfolio from a hardware-based pricing model to new, recurring revenue models. As our Chief Strategy Officer, he will help us keep the focus of the JC2 Ventures portfolio on leading market transitions.”
“I look forward to working with John again and am energized to join the JC2 Ventures team. John has such unique insights into technology and industry needs, and I admire his hands-on approach to helping his investment companies ensure the best possible outcomes for each startup. Together, we grew Cisco’s revenue from $70 million to approximately $48 billion – let’s see what we can do in this critical era of digital transformation.”
Previously, Pankaj held senior positions at Redback Networks, Apollo Computer and Digital Equipment Corporation. He has been a member of the Dean's Advisory Committee of UCLA's School of Engineering and of Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute, which is dedicated to catalyzing and accelerating the discovery, development, and delivery of new and more effective treatment options for lung cancer patients. Patel holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) in Pilani, India and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a Distinguished Alumnus of BITS-Pilani and was named one of the 125 Most Impactful People on UW-Madison’s 125th anniversary. He has won many accolades both at Cisco as well as in the industry. He was inducted in the LightReading Hall of Fame in 2016.
About JC2 Ventures
JC2 Ventures is a purpose-driven venture capital firm dedicated to helping disruptive startups from around the world grow and scale. JC2 works alongside CEOs and their teams, serving as true mentors of digital innovation. Founded by John Chambers, legendary Silicon Valley CEO who led Cisco Systems for more than 20 years, the JC2 team leverages their experiences to coach individual companies, helping them to see around corners, accelerate markets and create entirely new ones. JC2 Ventures is fully committed to developing startup companies in a Startup World, with a mission to better society by driving innovation, jobs, economic prosperity, gender diversity, inclusion, and success.