NTT Research Launches Scale Academy Incubator with SaltGrain Security Suite

NTT Research announced the launch of Scale Academy on April 15, 2026, at its Upgrade 2026 summit in San Jose, California. This incubator, led by SVP of Product Innovation Bennett Indart, focuses on transforming technologies from NTT Research labs and broader NTT R&D into market-ready products. Its inaugural offering, SaltGrain, is a zero-trust data security suite powered by attribute-based encryption (ABE), a cryptographic method originating from a 2004 research paper. SaltGrain enables granular access control by embedding policies directly into encrypted data, supporting text, images, and videos while protecting sensitive portions during sharing and analysis.

SaltGrain addresses limitations in traditional security models that rely on perimeter defenses or all-or-nothing file access, making it suitable for environments with AI agents handling regulated data. It targets enterprises and institutions in financial services, healthcare, and global technology sectors, where data breaches incur high costs and secure cross-organizational collaboration is critical. The suite incorporates post-quantum ready ABE for future-proofing against quantum threats and includes plans for an AI-enabled data classification engine to simplify sensitive data management.

Scale Academy provides structured support through stage gates and seed funding, positioning SaltGrain as the first in a planned portfolio of products. This initiative marks NTT Research's shift into a commercialization phase after seven years of basic research, aiming to bridge lab innovations to business success amid rising AI risks and cybersecurity needs.