Venture Capital

Aviz Networks Adds Cisco to $10 Million Round

SAN JOSE — Aviz Networks, a provider of open networking software for cloud-scale infrastructures serving telecom and enterprises, has added Cisco Investments to its latest funding round, joining existing investors, Moment Ventures, Accton and Wistron. This funding round, now reaching $10 million, will accelerate customer momentum for Aviz’s multi-vendor, GenAI-based networking stack along with adoption of SONiC based open networking.

Aviz helps organizations achieve the performance and cost benefits of hyperscale networks by removing complexity and supplying AI-driven management features as part of a breakthrough Networking 3.0 software stack. Aviz’s stack supports the fast-growing SONiC open-source network OS (NOS) as well as multi-NOS environments and leverages the power of large-language-models (LLMs) to deliver unparalleled choice and capabilities. The company has seen rapid growth over the past 12 months, scaling its number of customers, revenue, and operational headcount to meet growing demand across multiple geographies. Aviz says it has experienced a 250% growth in revenues with over 30 global customer engagements of various size.

Over the past three years, SONiC has emerged as a multibillion entity in the cloud and data center networking space, expected to reach $8B by 2027, according to research from communications industry analyst firm 650 Group.

“We are delighted to close this latest funding round that includes Accton, Cisco Investments, Moment Ventures, and Wistron. Our vision of delivering open, cloud & AI enabled networks for all enterprises and telecoms has rapidly taken shape as we partner with customers and our vendor ecosystem,” said Vishal Shukla, Co-Founder and CEO for Aviz. “Aviz continues to focus on supporting and leveraging community SONiC, and adding compelling innovations that enhance quality, drive down costs and accelerate time to deployment of open, cloud networks.”

“Accton is proud to be participating in this investment round with other global network leaders as it underscores our commitment to innovation in open networking. Aviz Networks has been extremely successful this year in the multi-billion dollar open network market, where SONiC plays a significant role. Accton is always pleased to collaborate with those that share our collective vision of employing AI and other cutting-edge technologies to meet the networking needs of enterprises and telcos,” said Jun Shi, CEO and President of Accton Group.

“Cisco is committed to accelerating innovation in networking to deliver comprehensive solutions to our customers,” says Aleem Rizvon, Vice President of Cisco Investments. “By investing in innovative startups, like Aviz, we are demonstrating our commitment to our partners and customers who value the open-source community.”