NTT Research, Inc., a division of NTT, has announced the launch of Scale Academy, a new startup incubator aimed at transforming cutting-edge research into market-ready products and services. Alongside this initiative, the company also introduced its first product, SaltGrain, a zero-trust data security suite powered by attribute-based encryption (ABE). This move marks a significant step in NTT Research’s evolution as it shifts toward commercializing its technological innovations.
The announcement was made during Upgrade 2026, the company’s annual research and innovation summit held in San Jose. With this launch, NTT Research is entering what it calls its “2.0” phase, focusing not only on foundational research but also on bringing high-potential technologies to market.
“As NTT Research enters its ‘2.0’ phase, we are launching Scale Academy to iterate and grow the most promising new NTT technologies into market success,” said NTT Research President and CEO Kazu Gomi.
Initially established to focus on basic scientific research, NTT Research has now expanded its mission to include identifying commercially viable innovations. Therefore, Scale Academy will play a critical role in bridging the gap between academic research and real-world applications. By providing dedicated resources, governance, and funding, the incubator aims to accelerate the development of breakthrough technologies emerging from NTT’s global R&D ecosystem.
Leading this initiative is Bennett Indart, Senior Vice President of Product Innovation at NTT Research. Under his leadership, Scale Academy will support early-stage products through structured development phases, ensuring they are positioned for long-term success in competitive markets.
The first product to emerge from this incubator, SaltGrain, represents a major advancement in data security. Built on attribute-based encryption, a cryptographic model introduced in 2004, the solution redefines how organizations control access to sensitive information. Unlike traditional security models that rely on broad, all-or-nothing access controls, SaltGrain embeds access policies directly into the encrypted data itself. As a result, organizations can enforce highly granular permissions, allowing users to access only the specific data they are authorized to view.
“As NTT Research enters its ‘2.0’ phase, we are launching Scale Academy to iterate and grow the most promising new NTT technologies into market success,” said NTT Research President and CEO Kazu Gomi. “As the first case out of Scale Academy, we will push SaltGrain, which we believe the market is ready for. SaltGrain is a data security suite that breaks the prevailing all-or-nothing file-access paradigm, closes cybersecurity gaps and enhances privacy protection, which is much needed in the environment where AI agents are everywhere and playing a wide variety of roles.”
Furthermore, SaltGrain operates within a zero-trust framework, ensuring that data remains protected regardless of where it is stored or accessed. This makes it particularly valuable in modern environments where AI systems and distributed teams frequently interact with sensitive data. In addition to securing text-based documents, the solution also supports images and video files, expanding its applicability across various industries.
“Business start-ups have their own rhythms and incentives that quarterly metrics miss,” Indart said. “Scale Academy accommodates those realities, with SaltGrain providing a timely entrance amidst AI risk acceleration, gaps in network and identity controls and the growing need to protect data wherever it moves.”
Importantly, SaltGrain addresses the growing need for secure data sharing in sectors such as finance, healthcare, and technology. These industries often handle highly regulated information, where even a single data breach can result in significant financial and reputational damage. By enabling fine-grained access control, the platform allows organizations to collaborate and analyze data more securely, even across organizational boundaries.
Additionally, recent advancements by NTT Research scientists have improved the performance of the ABE technology, making it ready for post-quantum deployment. This ensures that SaltGrain remains resilient against future threats posed by quantum computing.
Overall, the launch of Scale Academy and SaltGrain highlights NTT Research’s commitment to driving innovation beyond the lab. By combining advanced cryptography with a structured incubation model, the company is positioning itself to deliver impactful solutions for the evolving challenges of the AI-driven digital landscape.
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