NTT DATA Names FlytBase as Winner of Ninth Open Innovation Contest
18.3.2019 17:00:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
NTT DATA (TOKYO: 9613), a leading IT services provider, announced today that it has awarded Pune, India-based FlytBase as the Open Innovation Contest 9.0 champion for developing the world’s first Internet of Drones (IoD) platform for easily deploying intelligent drones connected with cloud-based business applications. The winning proposal was chosen during the contest’s Grand Finale event at NTT DATA headquarters in Tokyo on March 13-14. Going forward, NTT DATA will collaborate with FlytBase to develop a concrete business plan.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190318005355/en/
FlytBase founder Nitin Gupta (Photo: Business Wire)
FlytBase provides the edge and cloud-based software layers to deploy fleets of fully automated, cloud-connected drones at scale. Compatible with all major drones and hardware platforms, the solution can be leveraged for enhanced efficiency in diverse fields, such as agriculture, animal detection (farms), rescue, parking-lot monitoring, warehouse inventory management, environmental monitoring and compliance. In the contest, it was judged to be the overall best added-value IT service for NTT DATA customers, which include public bodies, the private sector and individuals.
NTT DATA’s annual competition invites high-tech startups to submit proposals on tackling issues in society worldwide. The proposals are judged by a panel comprising NTT DATA personnel and outside experts.
NTT DATA received more than 450 intriguing proposals from around the world starting last September. Regional contests were held in 20 cities (18 countries) on four continents between December 2018 and February 2019. Each regional contest selected a winner to present at the Grand Finale in Tokyo. The final proposals covered seven categories: Healthcare & Life Sciences, Financial Services, Insurance & Payments, Automotive & IoT, RPA & Back Office, Storefront & Digital Marketing, Data Distribution, and Disruptive Social Innovation.
In addition to the top prize, the SDGs Spotlight Winner award was presented to TNH Health (São Paulo), the Audience Award went to Innoviz Technologies (Tel Aviv) and the Judges Award was given to Iotium (San Francisco).
Nitin Gupta, founder and CEO of FlytBase, said: “This is a great honor. NTT DATA is one of the biggest system integrators and is trusted by very large customers, so we hope to expand our market quickly and efficiently. From the start, NTT DATA has been very focused on building a collaborative business and using our technology to develop new business opportunities. We look forward to creating great products for our customers.”
Kotaro Zamma, Head of NTT DATA’s Open Innovation and Business Incubation, said: “This year, we received many solutions tackling issues related to UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially in developing countries. It is exciting to learn about diverse new businesses that offer promising solutions for the infrastructure sector. We look forward to collaborating with FlytBase to co-create an innovative new business.”
NTT DATA’s Open Innovation Contest leads to the creation of practical new businesses. Social Coin, the 2017 winner, collaborated with NTT DATA to develop a commercial solution, Citibeats, that enables public and private bodies worldwide to leverage AI to identify community concerns and respond efficiently with practical programs. Also, last year’s winner Gestoos is implementing a proof-of-concept initiative together with NTT DATA clients. In addition, NTT DATA Italy has signed a collaboration agreement with GiPStech, last year’s winner in Milan, and is developing cooperative businesses with the other finalists.
Each regional contest was organized in collaboration with one or more NTT DATA group companies or regional partners: NTT DATA UK and Innovate Finance (UK), NTT DATA Italy (Italy), everis (Spain, Brazil, Portugal, Chile, Peru and Mexico), Dimension Data (South Africa), NTT DATA Services (U.S.A.), MaRS Discovery District (Canada), Business Finland (Finland), Agorize (France), Deloitte Israel (Israel), TiE (India), and Startupbootcamp and Rainmaking Innovation (China and Vietnam).
Next year’s Open Innovation Contest will again be held in venues worldwide as a winning proposition for startups, NTT DATA, its enterprise clients and global society.
About NTT DATA Corporation
NTT DATA is a leading IT services provider and global innovation partner headquartered in Tokyo, with business operations in over 50 countries. Our emphasis is on long-term commitment, combining global reach with local intimacy to provide premier professional services varying from consulting and systems development to outsourcing. For more information, visit www.nttdata.com.
|
List of Contestants |
||
|
The following contestants presented at the Grand finale. |
||
| City | Company | |
| Barcelona | ||
| Boston | ||
| Cape Town | ||
| Espoo | ||
| Ho Chi Minh City | ||
| Lima | ||
| Lisbon | ||
| London | ||
| Madrid | ||
| Mexico City | ||
| Milan | ||
| Paris | ||
| Pune | ||
| San Francisco | ||
| Santiago | ||
| São Paulo | ||
| Shanghai | ||
| Tel Aviv | ||
| Tokyo | ||
| Toronto | ||
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190318005355/en/
Contact information
Media inquiries
Mayuko Harada,
+81-90-9006-4968 / nttdata@webershandwick.com
Weber
Shandwick (for NTT DATA Corporation)
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
SecurityTech on the Rise: G+D Reports Strong Order Intake and High Resilience in 20252.4.2026 09:30:00 EEST | Press release
In fiscal year 2025, Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) reaffirmed its position as global leader in SecurityTech for mission-critical infrastructure. In a market where security is becoming essential for technological and societal stability, G+D demonstrates strong growth prospects. In 2025, G+D achieved a record order intake of €3.6 billion (+8%). Revenue increased to €3.2 billion (+1%), although exchange rate effects dampened growth. The key figures underscore the company's strong operational performance and profitability: Adjusted EBIT reached a new high of €211 million. The substantial free cash flow of €119 million provides additional leeway for future investments. With its equally strong segments – Digital Security, Financial Platforms and Currency Technology – G+D boasts a resilient portfolio that effectively cushions market volatility. The company's success reflects this strategic strength, combining technological depth, a global presence and operational reliability. G+D is making targeted
Bona Releases 2025 Sustainability Report2.4.2026 09:05:00 EEST | Press release
Bona®, a global, family-owned company that supplies products for installing, renovating, maintaining, and restoring premium floors, has published its 2025 Sustainability Report. The report outlines progress across Bona’s three sustainability pillars – Respect our Planet, Care for People, and Trusted Business – and highlights the continued integration of sustainability into all aspects of its operations. “Our business is built on extending the life of existing flooring materials and reducing the need for replacement,” says Lidija Broström, Interim Chief Executive Officer at Bona. “At Bona, we are making steady progress in reducing our impact while building a stronger foundation for the future. By working closely with our partners, we aim to drive meaningful change across our value chain and contribute to a more sustainable future.” In 2025, Bona reduced total Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions (market-based) by 46% compared to its 2022 baseline, reaching 1,338 tonnes of CO₂—surpassi
The Estée Lauder Companies Fully Establishes Its “One ELC” Operating Model and Reaches Milestone in Its Profit Recovery and Growth Plan2.4.2026 00:00:00 EEST | Press release
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE: EL) today announced WPP as its first-ever global media partner, marking a significant advancement of its One ELC operating model, a scalable system designed to operate faster, execute with greater discipline, and drive growth. In fully establishing One ELC, the Company also reached a significant milestone in its Profit Recovery and Growth Plan’s (PRGP) Restructuring Program — a key action plan priority of Beauty Reimagined. Stéphane de La Faverie, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Estée Lauder Companies, said, “With the appointment of WPP as our first-ever global media partner, our One ELC operating model is now fully established. This more unified and scalable system will enable us to be faster, more agile and efficient, and support unlocking additional growth. Together with our execution progress, we are confident that we are on a trajectory to deliver sustainable, profitable long-term growth.” de La Faverie added, “Building on our stro
Visual Bank Expands “Qlean Dataset” to Support Large-Scale Japanese Speech Foundation Models1.4.2026 22:45:00 EEST | Press release
Visual Bank Inc. (CEO: Saneyuki Nagai), through its subsidiary amanaimages Inc., one of the largest digital asset providers for the marketing and advertising industry in Japan with over 40 years of history, today announced the expansion of its Qlean Dataset, a premium AI training data solution designed for developers building high-performance Japanese speech foundation models. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260401752248/en/ Visual Bank Group, leveraging over 40 years of expertise through amanaimages Inc., expands Qlean Dataset, delivering high quality, rights cleared Japanese language corpora, including 100,000+ hours of commercially usable audio. A new development within the Qlean Dataset division, which focuses on providing datasets for institutions engaged in research and development, with rights cleared for AI training and large-scale data applications, has positioned the company as a leading provider of
Manna Air Delivery Raises $50Million Series B as It Announces Plans to Expand in the United States1.4.2026 19:00:00 EEST | Press release
Manna Air Delivery, a global leader in consumer drone delivery, has announced a $50 million funding round to scale its proven operations further in the United States and Europe. The round brings Manna’s total funding to $110million. Manna now operates one of the most active consumer drone delivery networks in the world, with more than 250,000 regulated commercial UAV flights completed. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260310714366/en/ Manna Air Delivery raises $50m Series B Investors in the round include ARK Invest, known for backing companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Tesla and SpaceX, the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) and Schooner Capital, alongside existing investors Coca-Cola HBC and Molten Ventures. As an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) delivery pioneer, Manna has operated in six locations across its native Ireland, as well as in Finland and Texas over the past seven years, delivering items inclu
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom