Cisco Acquired Most Start-Ups in Decade, but Oracle King in ’09
Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) is king of the “oughts,” at least when it comes to acquisitions of venture-backed companies.
According to statistics compiled by venture industry tracker VentureSource, the networking company acquired 48 venture-backed companies from 2000 to 2009, by far the most of any company, despite a notable drop in activity the past two years. International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) also gave venture capitalists plenty to cheer about in the decade, placing second with 35 deals, while Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) finished third with 30.
Cisco topped the annual venture-backed acquirer list three times–2000, 2004 and 2007–but made only two deals each in 2008 and 2009, tying for fourth both of those years.
