NTT Group Expands "NTT Startup Challenge" for Second Consecutive Year
~Aiming to Foster New Business Ventures Through Startup Partnerships in Southeast Asia~

News Highlights:

1. Background:

NTT Group aims to create new value through the resolution of social issues. To achieve this goal, we believe that we can discover a variety of issues and resolve them by collaborating with a number of startups that identify social issues and work to resolve them, and by promoting collaboration utilizing NTT Group's assets.
　Especially Southeast Asia, comprising 11 countries with a population of approximately 700 million⁴, is a vast market experiencing significant economic growth despite numerous social challenges. For startups, addressing these challenges presents significant business opportunities. Consequently, Southeast Asia is increasingly recognized by Japanese companies as a hub for innovation rather than merely a production base for the manufacturing industry.

Recognizing this evolution, NTT launched its first startup collaboration program the "NTT Startup Challenge" in 2024, aiming to accelerate new business creation through open innovation and strategic investment. Building on the growing maturity of the regional startup ecosystem and the strong engagement from NTT Group, the 2025 edition will be held on a larger scale with an expanded scope.

2. NTT Startup Challenge Program Details:

(1) Overview:

The program aims to create new business ventures through collaboration with the international startup ecosystem.

(2) Activities:

The NTT Global Business Division, serving as the organizer of this program, leads the implementation of the following activities.

(3) Role of NTT Group Companies:

NTT: Program planning and management.
NTT Group Companies: Promoting collaboration and new business development with startups by leveraging our focus areas and the assets we provide.

(4) Updates from 2024:

3. About NTT Startup Challenge Pitch Day:

(1) Overview:

NTT Startup Challenge Pitch Day is a pitch contest and matching program targeting startups in Asia interested in collaborating with the NTT Group. The program welcomes applications from all sectors and stages, leveraging the breadth of NTT Group's business domains. While continuing to focus on Southeast Asia, this year's scope has been expanded to include Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. More than 700 applications are expected, exceeding last year's figure. The top 10 finalist startups will present at the Pitch Contest where winning companies will receive rewards and access to various NTT Group assets (e.g., Investment from CVC, ICT infrastructure, Internal use of Startup solutions).

(2) Event Details:

Eligible Companies: Startups from Southeast Asia, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong interested in collaborating with the NTT Group
Website: https://www.ntt-startupchallenge.com
Pitch Contest Date: November 11, 2025 (Tuesday), 13:00-19:00 (Indonesia Time)
Venue: Soehanna Hall, Jakarta, Indonesia
Preliminary Judges: NTT, NTT Group Companies
Final Judges: Kuan Hsu (General Partner of KK Fund), Professor Akie Iriyama (Waseda University), and others

(3) Updates from 2024:

(4) Future development:

Participating NTT companies aim to create new business ventures in Southeast Asia through collaboration with potential winners and finalists from NTT Startup Challenge Final Day. For startups interested in expanding to Japan, NTT Group companies are prepared to offer support. Additionally, we aim to broaden this program to other countries in Southeast Asia and the Global South, exploring various initiatives.

5. Endorsements

○ Alan Lai, Founder of ProfilePrint (NTT Startup Challenge 2024 1^stAward)

"We at ProfilePrint are honored and fortunate to have won 1st place at the inaugural NTT Startup challenge 2024 which allowed us to work closely with NTT Group as a strategic partner to deepen our market penetration. It not only expedited our expansion into the Japan market but also allowed us to work alongside NTT group companies in serving the larger global market."

○ Kuan Hsu, General Partner of KK Fund

"It has been a true privilege to be involved with the NTT Startup Challenge since 2017 and to witness its evolution into a leading platform for collaboration between startups across Asia and the NTT Group. NTT Startup Challenge offers an exceptional gateway to NTT Group's vast resources, networks, and markets--enabling win-win partnerships that drive real innovation. I wholeheartedly encourage startups across Asia to seize this opportunity and be part of a vibrant ecosystem of shared success together with the NTT Group."

¹NTT Group's first overseas startup collaboration promotion program, "NTT Startup Challenge" launched - Aiming to create new businesses through startup collaboration in Southeast Asia
https://group.ntt/en/newsrelease/2024/07/29/240729a.html

²NTT East, NTT West Group (NTT West, NTT Fieldtechno), NTT DOCOMO GLOBAL, NTT Communications, NTT DATA, NTT DOCOMO Ventures, NTT Finance

³NTT East, NTT West Group (NTT West, NTT Fieldtechno, etc.), NTT DATA, NTT DOCOMO GLOBAL, NTT Communications, NTT COMWARE, NTT Advanced Technology, NTT Technocross, NTT Precision Medicine, NTT DOCOMO Ventures, NTT Finance, NTTVC

⁴Source: IMF (International Monetary Fund), 2025
Population (Millions of people) in Southeast Asia: 693.

About NTT

NTT contributes to a sustainable society through the power of innovation. We are a leading global technology company providing services to consumers and businesses as a mobile operator, infrastructure, networks, applications, and consulting provider. Our offerings include digital business consulting, managed application services, workplace and cloud solutions, data center and edge computing, all supported by our deep global industry expertise. We are over $92B in revenue and 330,000 employees, with $3.6B in annual R&D investments. Our operations span across 80+ countries and regions, allowing us to serve clients in over 190 of them. We serve over 75% of Fortune Global 100 companies, thousands of other enterprise and government clients and millions of consumers.