Dentsu Group Invests in “stu inc.,” a Company Specializing in Cutting-Edge Technology Utiliziation and Content Development

－ Cooperation started on marketing support and content development －

Dentsu Group Inc. (Tokyo: 4324; ISIN: JP3551520004; President & Global CEO: Hiroshi Igarashi; Head Office: Tokyo; Capital: 74,609.81 million yen; hereinafter referred to as “the Company”) today announced that it has invested in the Japanese startup stu inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO & Creative Entrepreneur: Takayasu Kuroda, hereinafter “stu”) via the Company’s R&D organization Dentsu Innovation Initiative (hereinafter “DII”). stu is involved in the utilization of cutting-edge tech called “edge tech” and content development. In addition, the companies have also started a business collaboration in the areas of marketing support and content development.

Consumers’ lifestyles and media consumption habits continue to evolve, leading to a continuous segmentation and diversification of interests and preferences. In line with these developments, entertainment continues to diversify, with content from Japan attracting attention on a global scale. In particular, with the evolution of technology, new forms of entertainment experiences are being created every day, such as digital content, virtual live events, and creators' rooms (a workflow for video production in which multiple screenwriters work in parallel). The methods that entertainment uses to attract the passion and fandom of consumers cannot be overlooked from a marketing perspective.

stu is a Japanese startup whose mission is “to reinvent entertainment” with a creative team that generates borderless ideas and combines cutting-edge technologies such as 5G, XR, and the metaverse with their edge tech businesses. Additionally, stu’s content development businesses introduces world-class video production workflows such as the Writers Room (video production workflow) and Pre-Vis (the production of simulation videos that enable viewers to imagine the finished state).
Taking advantage of this investment, stu will establish a specialized marketing team called “zeitgeist” within the company in collaboration with DII and expand the capabilities it has cultivated in the entertainment field to the marketing field as well.

The Company will combine the strengths of stu, including its cutting-edge tech and content development capabilities, as well as zeitgeist's marketing and fandom development know-how with its business development prowess and networks to promote the expansion of the Group's overall capabilities. In addition, it will pursue the further possibilities of entertainment in 5G and 6G, including XR and the metaverse, and contribute to the expansion and development of these markets.

<Overview of stu>

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Contacts:
Investment inquiries:
Dentsu Innovation Initiative (within Dentsu Group Inc.)
E-mail: innovation-initiative@dentsu.co.jp　

Media inquiries:　
Jumpei Kojima, Akiko Shimadzu, Todor Baev
Group Corporate Communications Office
Dentsu Group Inc.
Email: group-cc@dentsu-group.com