NTT DOCOMO Ventures Invests in ugo, Inc. , the Provider of “ugo,” a Robot for the Digital Transformation of Business Operations

NTT DOCOMO Ventures, Inc. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Jun Yasumoto; hereinafter, “NDV”) is pleased to announce that, through a fund that it manages, it has invested in ugo, Inc. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and CEO : Ken Matsui ), the provider of “ugo,” a robot for the digital transformation of business operations.

ugo, Inc. is a startup that provides robot-based solutions for the digital transformation of business operations in industries with serious labor shortages, such as security services and inspection services. The company offers “ugo,” a business robot capable of autonomous operation, and the “ugo Platform,” an integrated robot management platform that enables remote control and automation of multiple robots. By combining both of these functions, it will be possible not only to solve labor shortages, but also to digitize existing operations and systematize expertise.

In recent years, against the backdrop of a serious labor shortage, various industries have been expanding the deployment of robots for the purpose of digital transformation. ugo, Inc.’s solutions have been employed at sites such as office buildings, data centers, and power plants, and are also used by the NTT Group at the Shinagawa Season Terrace , owned by NTT Urban Development Corporation .
In addition, NTT DATA Japan Corporation (hereinafter, “NTT DATA”) has introduced these robots in its own data centers and has concluded a sales partnership agreement with ugo, Inc. to begin external sales*1 of an all-in-one service for customers conducting facility inspection work, from the deployment of the robots to the expansion of their applications.

Furthermore, as announced by NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE WEST CORPORATION (hereinafter, “NTT West”) and ugo, Inc. on December 21, 2023 (Thursday),*2 the two companies have reached a basic agreement to study collaboration on solving social issues using robots.

NTT Group is undertaking initiatives to solve social issues and support the sustainable growth of companies and society through the development of new services and businesses employing AI and robotics. With this investment, NTT Group and ugo, Inc. will further strengthen their collaboration and aim to create new value.

■ugo, Inc. Profile
Name: ugo, Inc.
Head Office: Prime Higashi Kanda Bldg. 9F, 1-7-8 Higashikanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Representative: Ken Matsui, Representative Director and CEO
Areas of Business: Provision and management of ugo solutions, etc.
Website: https://ugo.plus/

*1 NTT DATA Topics: “NTT DATA Launches Robot-based Business Transformation Service — Providing Comprehensive Support from Deployment Consultation to Verification and Expansion of Use Cases” (in Japanese)
https://www.nttdata.com/global/ja/news/topics/2023/122101/
*2 NTT West press release: “NTT West and ugo Reach Basic Agreement to Explore Collaborative Business Development — Aiming to Alleviate Human Resource Shortages in All Industries through the Use of Robots.” (in Japanese)
https://www.ntt-west.co.jp/news/2312/231221a.html