We’re delighted to have helped NTT DATA organise another successful ‘Open Innovation’ contest in London, that yesterday saw Geospock — a British big data engineering company — beat eight other short-listed innovative start-ups and secure a place at the Grand Finale in Tokyo in March.
The contest reflects the ongoing trend of ‘Open Innovation’ in Japan as many more Japanese enterprises seek to drive innovation through direct collaboration with international start-ups – a move that also presents a significant opportunity for western companies.
This, the ninth of NTT DATA’s Open Innovation contests, saw almost 200 start-ups pitching in 20 locations worldwide – from Tokyo to London, Sao Paulo, Cape Town, Mexico City and many more. At the Grand Finale, the winners of each regional contest will compete to secure collaborative business with the Japanese tech giant.
Every year, NTT DATA’s contest invites companies across seven categories – including the healthcare, finance and automotive sectors – to propose pioneering business ideas which could drive new collaborative business, whilst addressing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015.
Each contest is supported by local partners to help evaluate and select companies that showcase the very best innovations from each region. This year’s London Contest was supported by Innovate Finance as well as us – and we’re proud to have also played a part in organising the events in Espoo, Paris and Cape Town.
Congratulations to Cambridge-based Geospock on their victory — we wish them all the best for the final in Tokyo next month.