Cisco Foundation
Philanthropic foundation set up by Cisco Systems in 1997. In 2021 it committed $100 million over ten years to climate grants and impact investments.
Industry: Philanthropy and impact investing | Founded: 1997
About Cisco Foundation
The Cisco Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Cisco, established in 1997 through a gift from Cisco Systems. Cisco's blog says it began by supporting basic human needs in the San Francisco Bay Area and has since taken on a global mission. A 2021 release describes it as a distinct legal entity, and Cisco's blog, published on 1 July 2025, lists four focus areas: crisis response, education, economic empowerment and climate regeneration. It says the Foundation supports its partners with catalytic capital, technology donations and capacity-building help, and links the work to Cisco's goal of positively impacting one billion lives.
Charu Adesnik is executive director of the Cisco Foundation and director of social impact investments at Cisco, according to the same blog. Global AgInvesting reported in February 2025 that Jocelyn Matyas leads the Regenerative Future Fund. The 2021 release was written by a trustee of the Foundation, who is described as one of Cisco's early employees.
In April 2021 the Foundation committed $100 million over ten years to nonprofit grants and impact investing in climate solutions. Global AgInvesting reported that $50 million of this was for nonprofit grants and $50 million for equity and debt investments in early-stage climate startups, from seed to Series A, and in venture funds. The climate investing program was renamed the Regenerative Future Fund. Cisco's page lists its focus areas as clean energy access and innovation, carbon solutions, regenerative agriculture, adaptation and resilience technologies, and early-stage climate funds.
Cisco's page lists 27 startups and funds in the Regenerative Future Fund, including Aikido Technologies, Chloris Geospatial, Mitti Labs, Superorganism, Terradot and Vibrant Planet. It also lists 47 nonprofit grantees, including Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, One Acre Fund, RMI and WWF US. Global AgInvesting named the Foundation as a backer of Trailhead Capital's $50 million regenerative food and agriculture fund.
In August 2026 TechScoop reported that the Cisco Foundation took part in the $9.5 million Series A of Mitti Labs, a company that uses satellite data and AI to reduce methane emissions from rice fields. Aramco Ventures led the round.
Leadership
- Charu Adesnik, Executive Director, Cisco Foundation, and Director, Social Impact Investments
- Jocelyn Matyas, Leads the Regenerative Future Fund