Cisco acquires Socio Labs to bolster Webex’s online event capabilities SHARE Cisco Systems Inc. today announced plans to acquire Socio Labs Inc., a venture-backed startup that provides software for organizing virtual conferences and managing related tasks such as ticket sales. The deal is expected to close by July 25. Cisco plans to use Socio Labs’ software to enhance its Webex videoconferencing service’s features for hosting online events. In the bigger picture, the deal will also advance the network equipment maker’s ongoing effort to make software and subscriptions a larger part of its business. Since launching in 2016, Socio Labs has built up a customer base that includes the likes of Google LLC, Microsoft Corp. and Stanford University, among other big names. The startup’s platform is marketed as a one-stop-shop toolkit that allows event teams to manage the core aspects of organizing a virtual conference in one place.