[TechSparks 2020] Want to found startups across India to create 1.2M jobs every month, says ex-Cisco CEO John Chambers

When Cisco Chairman Emeritus, and Founder and CEO of JC2 Ventures John Chambers speaks, you sit up and listen. Whether it's about his love affair with India, his fascination with innovation in the country, his admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, or the tenets he lives his life by — everything he says is perspicacious, especially for the youth of today.

After he handed over the keys to his office at Cisco as its CEO, Chambers began to search for meaning in his new life — and he says he found it in his family - his high school sweetheart Elaine Chambers, his kids and grandkids, and in giving back.

Today, he dreams of making a difference in the world — of creating generations of startups across India, that could become the model for the rest of the world. And by creating this microcosm of blueprint-creating startups in the country, he hopes to enable 1.2 million new jobs in India, every month.

"It's a mind boggling number — 1.2 million new jobs, per month, but I think it is very doable," he said in a conversation with YourStory Founder and CEO Shradha Sharma at TechSparks 2020.

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"My philosophy is I want to make the difference one more time. I want to live life to its fullest. I want to give back," he added.

Through his investment vehicle, JC2, Chambers has invested in two Indian startups so far — cybersecurity services company Lucideus and conversational AI maker, Uniphore. And he's looking to actively expand his total portfolio of 18 global startups to at least 24.

"We want to be number one or two in each product area and we want to dream together and develop young leaders where I can watch and say that my pride is how well they are doing and how successful they have been," he says.

To the young people of the world who wake up every day wanting to change the world in their own way, Chambers says "have the courage to dream."

"Have the courage to dream, and then say what has to happen to make these dreams come true. And know that along the way, there'll be setbacks to those dreams. You can accomplish more than you actually believe that you can," he advised.

For more information on TechSparks 2020, check out our TechSparks 2020 website.

TechSparks - YourStory's annual flagship event - has been India's largest and most important technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship summit for over a decade, bringing together entrepreneurs, policymakers, technologists, investors, mentors, and business leaders for stories, conversations, collaborations, and connections that matter. As TechSparks 2020 goes all virtual and global in its 11th edition, we want to thank you for the tremendous support we've received from all of you throughout our journey and give a huge shoutout to our sponsors of TechSparks 2020.