PALO ALTO, Calif., March 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NEC X, the Silicon Valley venture studio backed by NEC’s advanced technologies and global businesses, today announced the seven startups selected for Batch 15 of its Elev X! Ignite program, a 12-month accelerator designed to help early-stage founders transform innovative ideas into seed-ready companies.
Chosen through a competitive multi-phase selection process from hundreds of applications across 34 industries, Batch 15 highlights clear emerging trends in the startup landscape. More than 70% of applicants were building B2B AI solutions focused on operational efficiency, while about 15% were developing physical AI technologies involving robotics or real-world automation. NEC X also noted growing interest in AI governance, safety and infrastructure.
Batch 15 founders will work closely with NEC X’s venture studio team, engineers, advisors and business mentors to accelerate product development, validate market fit and prepare for pre-seed-stage investment.
“Across industries, founders are rethinking how complex systems operate, and AI is becoming the foundation for that transformation,” said Shintaro Matsumoto, President and CEO of NEC X. “Batch 15 represents a group of entrepreneurs tackling some of the most operationally intensive challenges, from healthcare triage to satellite coordination. Through Elev X! Ignite, we’re helping these teams rapidly test ideas, leverage NEC technologies and build scalable businesses ready for global impact.”
Batch 15 companies are:
- AriesView – AI-powered intelligence platform for institutional real estate investors – turning complex documents and portfolio data into faster, sharper investment decisions.
- Opscom – Turns frontline security operations into defensible, audit-ready evidence, reducing compliance burden and exposure to contract, penalty and dispute risk.
- Fishlert – An automated text and email communication solution that maximizes pricing and negotiation power for fresh catch sales.
- FlightSuite.ai – A universal CRM agent that lets sales teams update contacts, log deals and manage pipelines naturally via SMS or browser, eliminating manual data entry across GoHighLevel, HubSpot and Salesforce.
- HumanLens – AI governance infrastructure for regulated industries. From “where is this model?” to auditable compliance – in days, not months.
- Manifest Space – Space traffic coordination and satellite identification to prevent collisions, improve visibility, and grow the orbital economy.
- Renna Health Inc. – A virtual clinical teammate for Emergency Rooms that engages patients early and often while they wait and autonomously acts on those conversations for risk stratification, documentation, disposition planning and more.
Each startup benefits from NEC X’s comprehensive support network, gaining access to NEC’s 45,000 patents, world-class researchers, expert-led workshops, product development resources and specialized investor readiness training. Startups can also leverage NEC’s global reach across more than 55 international markets and its $8 billion annual R&D ecosystem.
Together, these resources equip founders with the tools and connections needed to accelerate growth, scale globally and bring transformative solutions to market. Graduates of Elev X! programs successfully raise funding, gain early traction and scale operations. Recent alumni include Yadag, WeWalk, Milkyway X AI, Multitude Insights, Verdi and more.
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 150 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; a global network of partners, mentors and advisors; reaching 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.
Media Contact:
Robert Brownlie
Bob Gold & Associates
310-320-2010
[email protected]
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f1581982-27d3-41d1-a880-ff5553c28ef2