BENGALURU: Cisco Systems executive chairman John Chambers is in advanced talks to lead a $3-5 million investment in Chennai-based Uniphore Software Systems, a maker of speech-recognition software, according to multiple people aware of the discussions.The former chief executive of the global networking giant has been bullish on Indian startups for some time now and in June announced that Cisco had committed about $70 million to invest in new businesses here. In an interview with ET Now last month, Chambers said he would invest in India in his personal capacity as well and had already put his money in one company, which he didn't identify."John Chambers has indicated a strong interest in investing in the Indian startup ecosystem and has been looking at several tech players," said one of the people aware of the developments.Uniphore, incubated at IIT-Madras in 2008, provides services including speech analytics, voice biometrics and a virtual assistant to improve human-machine interaction for enterprise customers.Investors include YourNest Angel Fund IDG Ventures and Infosys cofounder Kris Gopalakrishnan Uniphore's founders Umesh Sach dev and Ravi Saraogi could not be reached for comment, a Chennai-based office representative said they were in Singapore on work.Chambers did not reply to an emailed query on the investment."The company has a presence in Singapore and the UAE, and provides services in 14 Indian languages as well as in several international languages including Spanish, Thai, French and Arabic," said the person quoted above, requesting anonymity. "It is likely to use the funds for further expansion and product development."Uniphore, which has raised more than $15 million in funding, has an annual recurring revenue of $6-10 million and has worked with more than 70 enterprise clients. In June, the company strengthened its leadership team appointing former SAP Canada executive Pat Pattabhiraman as senior vice-president, and former Salesforce India executive Ravi Kompella as India business head.Chambers, also the chairman of the US India Business Council, is among a few other global technology captains who have personally placed significant bets on Indian startups. Last year, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg led a $50-million investment in Bengaluru-based education-technology startup Byju's. WhatsApp founder Brian Acton backs Gurgaon-based car-tracking telematics solutions startup Trak N Tell.Chamber's personal investment portfolio includes several global advanced technology startups - Airware, whose software helps drones navigate and collect and transmit information; Dedrone, a counter-drone security firm; and Pindrop, which works to prevent phone-based fraud.