NTT DOCOMO Ventures Invests in Photosynth Inc., Which Offers a Cloud Physical Access Control System

NTT DOCOMO Ventures, Inc. (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO, Takayuki Inagawa; hereinafter “NDV”), through a fund it operates, has invested in Photosynth Inc. (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO, Kodai Kawase; hereinafter “Photosynth”), a company that offers a cloud physical access control system to companies.

Photosynth offers one of its flagship services through its Akerun physical access control system (hereinafter “Akerun”). The service provides easy smart locking and cloud management by retrofitting devices to office door keys (thumbturns and electronic locks). More than 4,500 companies have already introduced Akerun in their respective offices owing to its advantages, including easy postinstallation for existing doors, versatility in enabling physical access via public transportation IC cards, and high convenience realized through cloud management. Furthermore, Akerun is being adopted by a growing number of facilities, such as shared offices, rental space, and fitness clubs, because the system requires no physical key exchange and allows the key issue on a remote　control basis. The system accommodates numerous needs, including automation and the promotion of diverse working styles. Moreover, Akerun contributes to enhancing operation efficiency in numerous ways, including attendance management improvement and personnel allocation optimization, because it facilitates the confirmation of human movements in various places and the record of physical office access on a real-time basis.

Various changes associated with work, including working style reforms, have occurred in recent years. Under the circumstance, demand for Akerun, which supports working style reforms in addition to offering high convenience as a key, has been predicted to increase. The system is expected to achieve further growth.

NDV believes that smart locking and cloud services offered by Photosynth have a high affinity for the NTT Group’s assets and initiatives. NDV has decided to invest in Photosynth on this occasion based on its expectation that collaboration with Photosynth will contribute in generating new values. Going forward, NDV will proceed with its many-sided investigations, including partnerships with the NTT Group and solutions development, in an attempt to advance initiatives for maximizing the value of Photosynth and itself.

Akerun cloud physical access control system

■Interview article
Visit the following website for an interview article on NDV, Photosynth, and collaborating NTT Group companies:
https://special.nikkeibp.co.jp/atclh/NXT/20/nttdocomov0804/

■Photosynth
Company name: Photosynth Inc.
Representative: Kodai Kawase
Business descriptions:
(1)Research and development of equipment related to the Internet of things (IoT)
(2)Development and provision of the Akerun physical access control system
Company website: https://photosynth.co.jp/

* Names of the company and solutions stated in this release are the trademarks or registered trademarks of respective companies.