Nashville Q could lure Cisco innovation exec to tell all
Milt Capps
David Hsieh, the man who managed Cisco's massive I-Prize competition the past year or so, told VentureNashville during a recent interview he believes the innovation contest could be replicated in Nashville.Moreover, if invited, Hsieh said he'd be glad to visit Nashville to report on the I-Prize process and provide advice on similar initiatives for Nashville or the state. Hsieh said Cisco's 12 finalist teams included a total 40 persons, with team sizes ranging from 1 to 10, and with finalists teams' members drawn from 13 nations on five continents. A third of the finalist teams originated in the U.S. Hsieh said Cisco knew that money, alone, would not attract the best ideas, so the notion of an opportunity for a leadership role in a newly launched Cisco venture became the carrot that allowed the company to "capture the entrepreneurial energy" of the entrants. Hsieh noted that prior to launching the I-Prize contest Cisco officials had spent a lot of time worrying about legal and human-resources issues that might arise. There were, however, no intellectual-property problems, no "work for hire" lawsuits, etc. Prior to Cisco, Hsieh was a co-founder of FaceTime Communications, a leader in instant messaging solutions for large enterprises. Earlier, he was products VP for WebEx; entrepreneur-in-residence at Institutional Venture Partners (IVP); and, he held senior marketing roles with Sybase and LBMS. He's a graduate of Northwestern University. ♦
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