Ciscos corporate venture-capital arm said it would deploy $150 million to start-up companies over the next two to three years, accelerating its investments into areas such as Internet-enabled communication between objects. That theme, also known as the Internet of Things, will complement other Cisco investing themes such as big data and connecting mobile devices, Cisco senior vice president for corporate development Hilton Romanski told reporters Wednesday. The amount, coupled with $100 million that Cisco said in January it would deploy to start-ups in those areas, puts Cisco Investments on par with mid-sized venture capital firms. San Jose-based Cisco, known for networking equipment, also announced two new investments in the Internet of Things.