In 1984, Stanford University husband-and-wife team Leonard Bosack and Sandra Lerner founded Cisco Systems. The company developed and commercialized products that enabled computers to communicate with one another. As CEO, John Morgridge institutionalized a philanthropic culture and believed that a corporation could achieve profitability for shareholders while simultaneously supporting the people and the communities that ensured its success. Beginning with small-scale activities focused on community relations, Cisco’s philanthropic involvement grew into a substantial program that leveraged employees’ technical and intellectual capabilities in tandem with the company’s philanthropic investments. In 1997, Cisco created the Cisco Systems Foundation with $65 million to formally establish the company’s philanthropic efforts.