Applications for NEC’s Silicon Valley Venture Studio Program Jumped 64% YoY

Palo Alto, CA - March 27, 2025 - NEC X, the Silicon Valley venture studio backed by NEC's advanced technologies and global businesses, today announced the six visionary startups selected for Batch 13 of its Elev X! Ignite program - a cohort that reflects surging demand for innovation in agriculture, healthcare, compliance, financial services and enterprise tech.

Elev X! continues to experience record-breaking growth, with applications jumping 64% year over year and increasing 37% since the last cohort, highlighting the program's growing influence and ability to attract high-potential startups from around the world.

"Elev X! provides a collaborative environment where bold ideas become impactful solutions. Our record-breaking growth shows that startup founders and investors alike recognize the unmatched value NEC X delivers," said Shintaro Matsumoto, President and CEO of NEC X. "We're helping bold innovators accelerate faster, and the startups in Batch 13 are poised to make a meaningful impact - whether it's transforming wine production, automating debt collection, streamlining biotech compliance or enhancing enterprise decision-making with conversational AI."

Introducing the Elev X! Ignite Batch 13 Startups:
• Bazzuka AI - AI agent for debt collections to save costs and boost recovery for collection teams.
• EnterpriseChai - The insight engine that thinks & acts for your GTM teams.
• Lokatial - AI-powered compliance platform streamlines regulatory workflows for pharma and life sciences companies, reducing compliance costs by up to 60%.
• Otani - AI-driven assistant enhances VC investment decisions with data-driven evaluations, improving efficiency in early-stage deal assessments.
• Vigneron.AI - AI platform helps wine growers analyze data for proactive vineyard management, enhancing agricultural efficiency and wine quality.
• Yadag - an AI-powered seasonal staffing platform that helps farms hire, onboard and manage workers through WhatsApp—automating paperwork, visa processing and compliance. Over 30K workers sign-ups and growing.

Each startup benefits from NEC X's extensive support ecosystem, including access to NEC's global network of 45,000 patents, curated workshops, investor readiness training, expert advisors and connections across 55+ international markets.

Graduates of Elev X! programs have gone on to raise funding, gain early traction and bring transformative solutions to market. Recent alumni include Chekable, Clikr, GPx, Multitude Insights, Qualitative Intelligence, Reveleum, Verdi and more.

Applications for the upcoming cohort, Batch 14, will open in May 2025. For more information about Elev X! Programs, click here.

About NEC X
NEC X is an innovation powerhouse and curator of disruptive startups backed by the global technology leadership of NEC. Leveraging 125 years of IT and network technologies expertise, NEC X's startup-focused approach transforms visionary ideas into commercial successes that revolutionize how we work and live. Since its inception in 2018, NEC X has helped launch and grow more than 130 startups.

Their Silicon Valley programs - Elev X! Ignite and Elev X! Boost - equip early-stage startup founders with the tools to fast-track their tech development and adoption. Elev X! fuels startup success from inception to launch, connecting innovators with NEC's 45,000 patents; global network of partners, mentors and advisors; reach into 55+ international markets; and $8 billion R&D ecosystem.

For more information, visit https://nec-x.com and https://www.elev-x.com.

About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of "Orchestrating a brighter world." NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential.

For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.

NEC is a registered trademark of NEC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Other product or service marks mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners. ©2025 NEC Corporation.