NineSigma

What NineSigma does

NineSigma is a privately held open innovation services firm founded in 2000 in Cleveland, Ohio, and currently headquartered in Tokyo, Japan following a 2017 Management Buyout that created NineSigma Holdings, Inc. as the parent of three wholly-owned operating entities in Europe (Belgium), North America (Cleveland), and Asia Pacific. The company serves primarily large global corporations in R&D-intensive industries — including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, automotive, energy, food, telecom, and aerospace — by running technology scouting, technology landscape analysis, partner search, grand challenges, and startup search engagements through six named service methodologies plus a recurring Partnership Model for embedded innovation programs.

The firm's technology stack centers on three proprietary assets: NineSights, a digital innovation platform connecting client challenges with a global pool of solvers and hosting branded client galleries (e.g., GSK's Advanced Technology Innovation Gallery); the Open Innovation Council, a curated network of 20,000+ technology professionals providing on-demand expert input; and AKCELI, an AI-powered platform launched in the early 2020s that uses generative AI and structured-data analytics to surface non-obvious applications for existing technologies, with named adopters including Mitsubishi Chemical and Lintec. These platforms sit atop a network spanning 4 million+ contacts and 10,000+ completed projects accumulated over 25 years.

NineSigma operates as a B2B professional services firm with custom engagement pricing that is not publicly disclosed; revenue is generated through project-based consulting fees and higher-value, recurring Partnership Model engagements where dedicated teams work embedded with corporate R&D functions. Distribution is direct enterprise sales through international offices, supported by thought leadership content, webinars, industry events (e.g., Polymeris collaboration), and digital platform channels. Notable clients include GSK, Siemens, Solvay, Mitsubishi Chemical, PepsiCo, BMW, Nissan, Bridgestone, Idemitsu Kosan, RHI Magnesita, NASA, and the Al-Dabbagh Group/Tanmiah Food Company. Akihiko Suwa serves as President and CEO of NineSigma Holdings, with Stephen Clulow leading European operations and delivery, Shunichi Makita as Chief Strategy Officer, and Marie Murakami as COO/CFO.

Name

NineSigma

Legal name

NineSigma Holdings, Inc.

Website

https://ninesigma.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

NineSigma is a privately held open innovation services firm that helps large global corporations in R&D-intensive industries (chemicals, pharma, automotive, energy, aerospace) discover external technologies, partners, and non-obvious solutions through its NineSights platform, Open Innovation Council network of 20,000+ experts, and AKCELI AI-powered platform, plus custom consulting engagements and Partnership Model programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Open Innovation Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Enablement & Adoption Services (Change Management, Adoption, Champions) (BPAEANAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Vendor/Authorized Certification Training (Microsoft/AWS/Cisco, etc.) (BPAEANAA)

Keywords

• Open innovation services
• Technology scouting
• Innovation consulting
• Partner search
• Technology landscape analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Open Innovation Consulting Services: NineSigma generates revenue through professional services fees for managing open innovation programs for corporate clients. Services include technology scouting, partner search, technology landscape analysis, and innovation challenge design. The company offers customized innovation programs and partnership models where clients pay for dedicated team access and comprehensive innovation support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NineSigma is a professional services firm that helps corporate clients access external innovation through technology scouting, partner search, technology landscape analysis, and structured innovation challenge programs. The company operates two digital platforms — NineSights (open innovation marketplace) and AKCELI (AI-powered application discovery) — alongside the Open Innovation Council, a global network of 20,000+ technology professionals, to connect client challenges with solutions from startups, SMEs, and academia worldwide.

Product overview

NineSigma is an open innovation services company offering a portfolio of professional services and digital platforms. The core offerings include NineSights (digital innovation platform), AKCELI (AI-powered platform for innovation insights), and the Open Innovation Council (global expert network). These are complemented by six innovation service pathways: Technology Search, Technology Landscape, Technology Push, Grand Challenge, Start-up Search, and Partner Search. Clients can engage through the Partnership Model for customized, dedicated innovation programs. The company operates across Asia, Europe, Middle East, and North America with offices in Japan, Belgium, and the USA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NineSights Digital innovation platform that connects clients' technology needs and innovation challenges to solutions proposed by a global pool of innovators worldwide. Used to launch innovation campaigns and browse solutions.
• AKCELI AI-powered platform that helps innovation leaders uncover new business opportunities and turn existing materials/technologies into new growth opportunities by identifying non-obvious markets and shortening exploration timelines.
• Open Innovation Council (OIC) Global network of 20,000+ technology professionals from multinational corporations, SMEs, and startups who share insights and provide expert perspectives on technology and innovation challenges.
• Technology Search Service to find unobvious solutions to scientific and technical challenges by accessing worldwide communities of innovators and creating collaborations with new partners.
• Technology Landscape Service that helps anticipate science, technology, and business trends and emerging deep tech areas by obtaining strong facts and figures to structure business cases and make informed decisions.
• Technology Push Service that allows clients to find new applications for existing technologies and IP, identify new partners and potential clients, and explore new markets.
• Grand Challenge Service that harnesses global collaborative intelligence to solve difficult sustainable development or corporate socially responsible challenges, offering working prototypes for proof of concept.
• Start-up Search Service to enhance strategy with key external insights by understanding emerging trends, validating assumptions, spotting strategy gaps, and guarding against cognitive bias.
• Partner Search

Quantifiable outcome

• PepsiCo reduced sodium in chips while maintaining taste through nanoparticle salt technology from orthopedics research
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Design Ethnography Co., Ltd.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2026Jointly holding a free online seminar on 'Design Theory for Manufacturing' focused on connecting technology to business value through design theory in manufacturing organizations in the VUCA era.
• Nippon Research Institute Co., Ltd.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitial alliance formed in 2004 for NineSigma to begin operating in Japan through this partnership, before NineSigma Japan Co. was incorporated in Tokyo.
• Al-Dabbagh Group (ADG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership since 2020 for the Omnipreneurship Program & Awards addressing Innovation & Sustainability Challenges. Partnership has led to multiple grand challenges including poultry waste processing, lubricant production from cooking oil, and sustainable feed raw materials. Partnership includes 3 yearly grand challenges and multiple tactical Open Innovation Calls.
• Tanmiah Food Company (TFC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of Al-Dabbagh Group, TFC partnered with NineSigma for grand challenges on poultry waste processing (2020), sustainable feed production (2022/2023), and multiple innovation calls. Awarded US$1 million prize to winners of sustainability challenges.
• Petrolube OilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerADG entity seeking innovative solutions to process/refine used vegetable cooking oils into biodegradable lubricants in a cost-effective, commercially viable manner for circular economy contribution.
• SolvaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational science company partnered with NineSigma to promote innovation and sustainability in the plastics and polymer industry. NineSigma identified 37 organizations interested in Solvay's AdChem4 scale-up platform, with 16 invited for immediate collaboration and 16 selected for long-term partnership.
• Axel'OnecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench collaborative innovation platform in Chemistry and Environment sector partnered with Solvay and NineSigma to promote innovation. Hosts AdChem4 technology platform for polymer scaling accessible to the R&D ecosystem.
• PolymerisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench innovation cluster for polymers partnered with NineSigma to promote innovation and sustainability. Co-organized webinar on open innovation opportunities for polymer industry members.
• RHI MagnesitacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading global supplier of high-grade refractory products partnered with NineSigma since end of 2019. In 2021, ran 5 open innovation projects resulting in 15 partnerships with external solution providers supporting sustainability agenda including bio-based carbon materials and CO2 reduction.
• GSKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGSK Advanced Technology opened Innovation Gallery on NineSights and launched multiple campaigns through NineSigma to find novel approaches and partners. GSK believes external collaboration helps bring new medicines to patients more quickly.
• Idemitsu Kosan Company, Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJapanese petroleum company (second largest in Japan) partnered with NineSigma in a Partnership Model for strategic open innovation. After pilot projects, established Open Innovation Promotion Group to accelerate R&D and portfolio transformation. NineSigma provided accurate advice on open innovation tools and sharing know-how accumulated over 20+ years.
• SiemenscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate Innovation Team partnered with NineSigma for Open Call for Suppliers initiative on NineSights platform. Initiative received prestigious Siemens award in November 2017 for best Supply Chain Management initiative. Grew to 80+ projects and expanded internal OI community from few people to 2,000+.
• Ooredoo TelecomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQatar-based telecom company partnered with NineSigma for $100,000 Innovation Contest to find AR/VR technology for WiFi troubleshooting. Selected AutoVRse from India; after successful pilot, planning solution rollout across Qatar.
• Es'hailSatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQatar-based satellite operator partnered with NineSigma to identify remote monitoring solution based on digital twin AR constructs for geostationary satellites. Identified 18 companies with TRL 3+ technologies; selected TELESPAZIO from Italy with multi-year agreement.
• MATAR (Doha Airport Management)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDoha Airport Management partnered with NineSigma for $100,000 Innovation Contest to develop AR-based indoor navigation wayfinder for special needs customers. Received 80+ candidates and 47 proposals; selected SITUM from Spain for proof of concept.
• Ellen McArthur FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit organization created to speed up transition to circular economy partnered with NineSigma to organize the $2 million New Plastics Economy Innovation Prize to find ways to make all plastics recyclable.
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNineSigma structured and organized the Space Robotics Challenge for NASA, a $60 million program focused on developing software to increase autonomy of dexterous mobile robots for space tasks.
• GE and NFLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNineSigma structured and organized the GE & NFL Head Health Grand Challenge, a $60 million program to advance understanding of mild traumatic brain injury.
• Mitsubishi ChemicalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUses AI-powered AKCELI platform to shorten exploration timelines, uncover non-obvious markets, and turn existing materials into new growth opportunities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wazoku (formerly InnoCentive): Direct competitor in open innovation and crowdsourced problem-solving; operates challenge-driven platforms for enterprise R&D, overlapping with NineSigma's Grand Challenge and Technology Search services.
• IdeaConnection: Operates open innovation challenges and expert networks to solve technical problems, closely mirroring NineSigma's crowdsourced challenge model and expert community approach.
• IdeaScale: Crowdsourced innovation platform for enterprise idea management and open innovation challenges; competes for the same corporate innovation budgets as NineSights.
• Hype Innovation: Innovation management platform serving global enterprises with idea management and innovation portfolio tools; directly overlaps NineSigma's enterprise software offerings.
• Yet2.com: Pioneer in open innovation services, technology scouting, and licensing support for large corporates; competes head-to-head with NineSigma's partner search and technology scouting offerings.
• Brightidea: Innovation management software platform for idea capture, evaluation, and crowdsourcing; competes with NineSights as enterprise infrastructure for running innovation programs.
• Planview Spigit: Enterprise innovation management software combining crowdsourcing and AI-driven prioritization; competing platform to NineSights for large corporate innovation programs.

Broad incumbents

• Quid (NetBase Quid): AI-driven technology and market intelligence platform used for trend spotting and innovation discovery; broader incumbent with adjacent capabilities to NineSigma's analytics offerings.
• CB Insights: Market intelligence platform for technology scouting, M&A, and strategy; broader and much larger but overlaps with NineSigma's Technology Landscape and Start-up Search services.
• AlphaSights: Expert network connecting clients with industry specialists for consulting and investment research; broader scale and adjacent to NineSigma's OIC expert network but focused on different use cases.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@NineSigmaInnovation/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ninesigma
• Xx.com/NineSigma
• Facebookfacebook.com/NineSigma

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NineSigma