NTTi3, the US-based research and development subsidiary of Japan-based telecommunications corporation NTT Group, has moved from Silicon Valley to a new office in Palo Alto, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The move comes as NTTi3 prepares to launch its first product, a cloud orchestration platform that incorporates technology from several of the start-ups with which NTTi3 has worked, in beta.
NTTi3 does not directly invest or acquire any startups, instead directing them to NTT’s corporate venturing arm NTT Docomo. The aim of NTTi3 is to develop new startups and products that could later be used to help NTT’s existing portfolio grow and expand their presence in the US market.
Srini Koushik, CEO of NTTi3, told the WSJ: “A lot of good thought leadership comes out of start-ups, but most start-ups are solving a small problem within an enterprise, and when you bring it to the enterprise, CIOs are left to integrate it into the rest of the enivornment. So we are working with local startups.”
NTTi3 focuses primarily on secure cloud computing, crowdsourcing, machine learning and social networks. Venture capital fims including Lightspeed Venture Partners and Andreessen Horowitz have started to direct their portfolio companies to the unit so they can benefit from NTT’s expertise.