Digital Transformation

How Cisco LaunchPad Startups are Making it Big with Cisco Meraki Platform?

Krishna Sundaresan
February 10, 2021

Ever since its inception in 2016, Cisco LaunchPad has been playing a pivotal role in helping deeptech startups scale greater growth trajectory. With a host of offerings, especially curated for the high potential startups, the B2B corporate accelerator program from Cisco has heralded a new dimension for unprecedented excellence. With ample all-round support, hand-holding and industry-leading mentorship, the program is all about opening up a world of possibilities for startups who dream big and have the vision to go miles.

At Cisco LaunchPad, innovation has always been the most propelling force factor. Cohort startups not just spend their time learning the nuances of the business, but also strengthen their positioning by leveraging Cisco technologies to exert a greater impact at large. One such facet that has swept success in its full glory is Cisco Meraki – as they say, Powerful Technology for All. With Cisco Meraki prowess at one end and some of the most exciting startups from Cisco LaunchPad stable at the other – the program bridges the gap to create the perfect silver lining. Cloudphysician from the healthcare space and MishiPay and TorchFi from retail and user IoT have had successfully implemented the Cisco Meraki advantage in their product DNA; let’s explore how.

Remote Healthcare Redefined

Cloudphysician, an alumnus of Cisco LaunchPad offers 24 x 7 remote ICU care by connecting intensivists based at its command center with bedside doctors taking care of critically ill patients located at hospital ICUs. With RADAR, its proprietary ICU management solution that seamlessly integrates patient data across SmartICUs, Cloudphysician provides evidence based real time actionable information to partner doctors in saving lives – all remotely.

RADAR creates a real time two-way audio-video communication platform to coordinate with bedside care providers and to intelligently integrate with all the bedside devices so that all the essential data smoothly flow through its analytics engine to help caregivers with clinical tools and automated intelligence to monitor patients across locations. For that, Cloudphysician requires a highly secure, stable and scalable network backbone which has been complemented with Cisco Meraki ensuring full capabilities with robustness and reliability.

As part of Cisco LaunchPad’s 5th cohort, Cloudphysician got the opportunity to work closely with Cisco to evaluate a seamless and secure network solution for its hub and spoke model. The vast portfolio of products that Cisco Meraki has on offer comprising SD-WAN, smart cameras, wireless switching and routing solutions turned out to be quick picks for Cloudphysician as they are easy to deploy and manage. Also, Cisco Meraki’s product portfolio is in line with Cloudphysician’s ‘ICU in a box’ vision to enable the access of expertise to patients anywhere and anytime.

Cloudphysician and Cisco Meraki: Going Stronger Together

Cloudphysician, powered by Meraki’s network infrastructure went live in the district hospital at Ramanagara in May, 2020 wherein 36 beds get monitored via the RADAR platform. A winner of the Ayushman Bharat Startup Grand Challenge 2020 for creating innovative solutions to address implementation challenges faced by Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), Cloudphysician, in association with the Government of the Karnataka also deployed its Cisco Meraki propelled tele-ICU solution at the Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) where 26 out of 70 beds are now having access to intensivists round the clock. Taking remote healthcare to 12,000 feet, Cloudphysician recently deployed its remote ICU care solution at S.N.M. Hospital, Leh giving a huge fillip to the authorities to help battle serious COVID19 cases where severe shortage of ICU specialists is a major concern. “Meraki cameras and other equipment that Cloudphysician installed at the hospital help the staff to communicate with the command center at Bengaluru to deliver the best in class treatment to our patients all the time. With such an advanced system in place we are now better equipped to serve the critically ill patients monitoring every aspect” – says Dr. Tsering Morup, Sr. Consultant Anaesthetist/Intensivist at S.N.M. Hospital.

What started as a trial initiated by Cisco LaunchPad by bringing Cisco sales team and Cloudphysician together to deploy a Meraki, the joint solution has already started delivering significant results from the remote locations along with the central hub. With the massive capabilities Meraki brings on to the table, Cloudphysician now eyes on leveraging the advantage to 25 more locations (Cloudphysician already has presence in 10 states in the country) in the days to come. The Meraki advantage that Cloudphysician leverages ensures that RADAR now works in a plug and play model allowing spoke hospitals to continue using their existing equipment at the bedside. Courtesy of Cisco Meraki’s easy configuration capability that saves a lot for startups like Cloudphysician who needs to invest in setting up a big IT team otherwise. Also, Meraki’s robust network backbone and flexibility bring freedom of interoperability to hospitals who usually purchase their equipment from a variety of vendors. Post Meraki integration, Cloudphysician now enjoys the benefits which include:

Reliability and access to monitor remote devices such as bedside patient monitors and internet protocol cameras from multiple branch hospitals from the centralized command center (Hub Location)
Getting high-definition real-time audio/video feeds for immediate patient consultation
Seamless connectivity for multiple devices and equipment
Rapid installation of the SmartICU solution as Meraki ensures enhanced security
Collateral benefit as device integration now becomes easier, hassle-free and cost-effective
Offers a ‘one-step configuration’ with a lean IT resource

According to Dhruv Joshi, Director, Cloudphysician “Our association with Cisco LaunchPad has turned out to be a really fruitful one as they helped the startup in making the Meraki engagement possible which now works as the backbone to drive their solution in a reliable and secure way that comprises several protected health information and patient data.” “For an organization like us that continues to grow and expand to remote locations in India, the technical support offered by Cisco Meraki is vital for the business of healthcare and patient wellbeing” – he further adds. Watch joint success video.

Retail + Cisco Meraki = Possibilities are Endless

In the retail and IoT space as well, Cisco Meraki has been a preferred choice for previously graduated startups like MishiPay and TorchFi. London based MishiPay that allows shoppers to self-scan, pay and walk out of any store or outlet heavily leverages on the Cisco Meraki platform to deliver a completely hassle-free and time-saving shopping experience – all on the fly. MishiPay’s collaboration with Cisco is based on the concept of ‘Stop, Shop & Go’ which enables customers use their mobile phone to scan the products they like, make the payment and then leave the shop as payment automatically disables the security tag. MishiPay’s mobile self-checkout technology works seamlessly with Cisco Meraki MV cameras making shopping a truly theft-proof experience. If a customer tries to leave a Meraki enabled store with any unpaid item, the item gets displayed on the screen as soon as it passes the RFID gate. Also, MishiPay’s integration with Cisco Access-Points allows customer heat map to be created and utilized alongside MishiPay’s own collected data to give more insights on customer behavior. For stores with Cisco Meraki MX – Security & SD-WAN and Meraki MS Switches and other Cisco Access-Points and routers in place, MishiPay can prompt download of the app when people attempt to access public Wi-Fi helping them leverage more on collected data to enable further services. An alumnus of Cisco LaunchPad’s 2nd cohort, MishiPay takes pride in working on Cisco’s very own Cisco Innovation Store in San Jose where visitors can take full advantage of its self-checkout technology integrated with Meraki’s award winning IP camera solutions while buying their favorite items. Mustafa Khanwala, Co-Founder and CEO of MishiPay says, “Partnering with Cisco helped build credibility and launch pilot contracts in the international markets. Successful deployments with Leroy Merlin in France and MediaMarkt Saturn in Austria and many other rollouts in UK, Spain, and Germany can be attributed to the partnership with Cisco.”

Another startup from Cisco LaunchPad’s 1st cohort, TorchFi that has immensely benefitted from the Cisco Meraki platform offers a unique app-less mobile ordering solution in the form of Wifiwaiter. Wifiwaiter enables on-premise mobile ordering for restaurants, resorts, bars, food halls, stadiums, airports and other hospitality marketplaces. People get the flexibility to order their favorite food from anywhere in the venue using their phones. When the user connects to Wifiwaiter the ordering portal loads on the login page. As there is no app to be downloaded users get complete peace of mind regarding privacy concerns. Wifi firewall makes the transaction extremely secure giving customers the freedom to get what they want, with complete security.

The Cisco Meraki MR Series Cloud-managed Wireless Access-Points not just ensure seamless connectivity while placing an order using Wifiwaiter but also offers the advantage of integrated enterprise security and long range access with high bandwidth. With its integration with outdoor access points, TorchFi is now getting significant results enabling customers order from parking lot and curbside. Powered by rapidly deployable and highly scalable Cisco Meraki platform, Wifiwaiter is now helping restaurants and other hospitality ventures deliver improved guest experience while getting increased revenue – all at a fraction of the cost.

In a nutshell, the benefits that startups are reaping leveraging on Cisco technologies are really meaningful and rewarding. And Cisco LaunchPad continues to be the bridge in creating the perfect harmony amongst relevant Cisco teams and aspiring startups who believe in making a deep impact with technology.

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