THE CISCO NETWORKING LOUNGE

On the event Main Stage and in the Startup Pitch Room, attendees were introduced to new ideas, stories and innovations. But it was off stage where some of the most important activities took place. Meeting new people, catching up with peers and extending one's network are crucial at any summit or conference. Cisco, the Wired Money networking partner facilitated this with a dedicated Networking Lounge and a team of hosts to ensure anyone who wanted to connect with others could do so easily.

"It was exciting to find opportunities for collaboration amongst people running other fast-growing companies," says Thomas Gatten, one of the delegates and founder of Growth Intelligence, a company that tracks the value of businesses. Others found the Cisco Networking Lounge useful for meeting people they'd not met before.

"I met a guy called Jeffrey Henderson, who'd flown into London from LA and used to work in crowdfunding. Now he's looking to do something in bitcoin," says James Chappell, cofounder and CTO of Digital Shadows, a cyber-security firm who were runners-up in Cisco's 2012 BIG Awards. "As a result of one of the talks, we ended up discussing the value of anti-money laundering to society as a whole."

Digital Shadows is going fast and was represented on the Main Stage by its other cofounder, Alastair Paterson. Its success is due, in part, to the company's unique product, but also thanks to opportunities offered by Cisco.

Having been awarded in the Cisco BIG Awards 2012, Digital Shadows received mentoring, access to Cisco's far-reaching professional network and also a substantial cash injection. But that's not the only assistance Cisco currently offers new businesses.

At Wired Money in the Cisco Networking Lounge, the global firm was taking informal pitches from companies looking to take the next step in their development. As another part of its British Innovation Gateway (BIG) initiative, Cisco is offering office space at IDEALondon. The innovation centre in Shoreditch, created in partnership with UCL and DC Thompson, is a technology accelerator. Companies in the space will benefit from the expertise, relationships and contacts offered by Cisco, as well as the opportunity to pitch for funding from investors.

This year's competition is now closed, but inventive businesses and technology startups can find out more – and prepare for next year – by visiting ciscobig.co.uk.