Oct. 12, 2009 (PR Newswire) -- ST. LOUIS and MENLO PARK, Calif., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Amdocs (NYSE: DOX), the leading provider of customer experience systems, today unveiled a new program called Open Innovation at an event held in Silicon Valley. Open Innovation's goal is to foster new ideas and collaboration between Amdocs and startup companies in the communications industry. The program also benefits Amdocs' customers -- many of whom are the world's leading service providers -- by providing a forum for innovation as service providers address business and technology challenges as the industry evolves.

The Open Innovation program consists of three areas:

--  Amdocs Ascend! - A startup partnership program focused on creating new
solutions by combining external innovation with Amdocs products and
services. Amdocs seeks to develop partnerships that complement the
Amdocs CES (customer experience systems) portfolio.
--  Amdocs Engage! - A business development program promoting business
opportunities between Amdocs, service providers and startup companies,
through which Amdocs offers selected companies a discussion channel with
its global customer base.

--  Amdocs Venture - A program focused on investments in carefully selected
startups. Today, Amdocs has announced two minority investments: Amobee
Media Systems, a provider of telco-grade mobile ad server solutions, and
Trivnet, a company that delivers mobile-based transaction management
capabilities.

"Amdocs is now a well-established leader in the industry -- however, we were once a startup too. When we look back, we recall how innovation, often introduced by our employees, played a role in our success," said Seth Nesbitt, vice president of product and solutions marketing for Amdocs. "The Open Innovation program honors Amdocs' deep heritage in innovation, and offers us an opportunity to foster the startup community that will inevitably help shape the future of the industry."

At the Amdocs hosted event taking place today, venture capitalists and startups will hear from Amdocs executives about the marketplace's most pressing needs and areas for potential partnership. In addition, attendees will learn how to participate in the program and how they can benefit from Amdocs' global expertise.

While Amdocs is announcing the Open Innovation program today, it holds long-standing relationships with the startup community.