DevNet @Capital Factory #SXSW

I’m just back from SXSW Interactive. What a great experience! My company, Cisco, helped sponsor some events and a small space at Capital Factory where I was able to meet lots of VIPs, startups, and entrepreneurs together in one place to bring ideas, innovation, and business to better the world.

Two of the questions I was asked the most was, “what is DevNet,” and “what is Cisco doing here at Capital Factory?” So let me answer those right now ;).

Cisco DevNet is the developer program for all of Cisco technologies. It is the hub for all of the learning, innovation, and integrations for all things Cisco. We help people to integrate with Cisco where their businesses’ technology, needs, and use cases intersect in the areas that Cisco’s technology is present. Cisco DevNet was built 5 years ago by a team of edgy Cisco engineers that wanted to do more for Cisco’s developers and who believe in the “innovate or die” mentality. We have grown a lot in those 5 years, but the dedication to driving innovation in the industry is the same.

Ok cool, but why are you at Capital Factory again?

Yes, let’s get to that. Like a lot of big companies, Cisco sees innovation, as something that is necessary to move forward. We love being able to see what other’s can do with our technology to make user experiences and possibly life better. Take the company RoomReady — who, to quote their site, are creating “meeting spaces that don’t suck” — for example. They build on top of Cisco Webex and other vendors infrastructure to make a seamless experience for using meeting spaces. Or like Mishipay, who uses Cisco Meraki infrastructure to improve retail experiences for retail customer and retailers.

Cisco is always looking for new blood to take the technology we have built and use it in ways that are innovative and disruptive to the industry. We are also looking to see if you are doing it better than us! Maybe what you are building is actually better than what Cisco has in the same area. We encourage that and want your company to thrive as well. It only makes us better if our competition is good or even great. And who knows, if you really are a lot better, maybe you will just become part of the Cisco family one day ;).

Makes sense, but why Capital Factory? Capital Factory is a center of gravity for entrepreneurs and startups in Texas and beyond. They provide a unique environment that brings innovative minds from all over the world together. They provide multiple avenues for startup entrepreneurs, companies, and investors to work together to make dreams possible. They also bring public sector government and innovation together – like Army Futures Command, AFWERX, and Smart Cities initiatives. They do this through the excellent staff that Joshua Baer has assembled at Capital Factory. A staff that is dedicated to excellence and innovation, not unlike the staff that Susie Wee has put together at Cisco DevNet.

That being said, we have worked hard to have a relationship with Capital Factory to continue our mission of “innovate or die” and to help cultivate the next wave of innovative technology. That is why we were at SXSW at Capital Factory in Austin, Texas this year and last year. We are getting the word out and building relationships with entrepreneurs, startups and the startup community as well as developers.

Check out the DevNet website to see how you can integrate with Cisco and drive innovation right where you are.

And if you are in Austin, Texas, or have a tech meetup you are looking to host, come talk to us at Capital Factory and check out our newly sponsored Capital Factory event space. Let Innovation reign!