Cisco funds voice-activated web software developer

SAN FRANCISCO: Pagoo Inc., a start-up developer of voice-activated Internet

applications software, said on Tuesday it raised $15 million, including cash

from Cisco Systems Inc.

The funding brought the total of the latest financing round, its fourth, to

$30 million. The Dublin, California, company had raised $15 million in March.

Pagoo has raised a total of $52 million since its 1997 launch and will use

its latest funding to expand sales of its technology to broadband service

providers in Europe and new Asian markets, as well as to further develop

software for use in homes, chief executive John Jacquay told Reuters.

Jacquay said the latest funding round may be Pagoo's last as the company,

which counts Tiscali, Europe's second-largest Internet service provider, and

AT&T WorldNet Service as customers, is working to reach profitability as

soon as possible.

Pagoo's latest funding came from Cisco and a number of venture capital firms

as well as earlier investors, including leading venture firms 3i, Draper Fisher

Jurvetson and Hummer Winblad Venture Partners.

(C) Reuters Limited 2001.