Aroma Bit Receives Additional Capital Investment Funding From Epson X Investment, Kyocera, and TechAccel Ventures
9.2.2021 09:00:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
Aroma Bit, Inc., (Representative Director & CEO: Shunichiro Kuroki, headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo), develops and markets compact odor imaging sensors and various related innovative services, has allocated additional shares to third-parties. The purpose of the funding is to acquire growth funds needed for future functionality enhancements of the company’s compact odor sensors and development of mass production capabilities, business development, and etc. EB-GB Limited Partnership funded by Epson X Investment Corporation (Representative Director: Yasunori Ogawa, headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), Kyocera Corporation (President: Hideo Tanimoto, headquarters: Kyoto City, Kyoto), and TechAccel investment limited partnership 1 (fund operated by TechAccel Ventures, LLC (Functional Manager: Masatoshi Ohba, headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo)) are the investment partners participating in this new capital investment.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210208005274/en/
Silicon CMOS type Smell Sensor Development Kit (Product ID: 5C-SSM) (Photo: Business Wire)
Aroma Bit, Inc.: http://www.aromabit.com
Purpose and background of the increased capital investment: Support for acceleration of the compact odor sensors’ mass production and expansion of the digital odor sensing market
Aroma Bit has developed the world’s first compact odor imaging sensor that digitizes odors with visualization patterns from various odor inputs, similar to an animal’s sense of smell. It differs from conventional gas sensors, which can only detect specific substances.
Despite COVID-19, Aroma Bit has seen an increase in business negotiations with customers both in Japan and internationally accelerated by emerging trends such as smart technology, contactless technology, and digital transformation (DX).
Furthermore, the device has a wide range of applications, including the food, agriculture, daily commodities, industrial machinery, mobility, healthcare, robotics, mobile information service, home electronics, and IoT industries. With market applications exceeding initial expectations, there is considerable potential demand for odor digitization using Aroma Bit’s innovative technology.
After this third-party allocation of new shares, Aroma Bit plans to collaborate with major electronic device companies with advanced manufacturing expertise to accelerate development and mass production of compact odor sensor technologies.
Additionally, Aroma Bit plans to strengthen development of new products and services that leverage the company’s proprietary odor databases, and expand its sales and marketing worldwide.
In the future, Aroma Bit will continue to pursue its vision of “Enrich Society by Creating a World where Odors and Aromas are Visualized through Digital Odor Sensing Technology.”
Release of development kit for silicon CMOS compact odor sensors
Aroma Bit launched its silicon CMOS sensor module development kit [5C-SSM-H1] in January of 2021. Those sensors feature 80 elements arranged on a 6 mm x 3 mm silicon chip (5 types of odor-sensitive membrane x 16 elements per membrane). Aroma Bit Silicon Sensor Technology, Inc., a subsidiary of Aroma Bit manages sales for these devices.
With the release of the silicon CMOS odor sensor, Aroma Bit anticipates increased demand in high-volume consumer applications such as mobile devices, mobility, and home electronics, where its other QCM odor sensor use was previously difficult due to factors such as price and usage environment.
About Aroma Bit
Aroma Bit is a company that plans, develops, and sells electronic devices such as compact odor sensors as well as innovative new services that use these devices.
|
[Company Profile] |
||
|
Company name: |
|
Aroma Bit, Inc. |
|
Location: |
|
Sagami Bldg. 2F, 7-13-6 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo |
|
Representative: |
|
Representative Director & CEO Shunichiro Kuroki |
|
Established: |
|
February 2014 |
|
Business: |
|
Development, production, and sales of electronic equipment and systems including compact odor imaging sensors |
|
|
|
Planning, development, and sales of products and innovative services that use the sensor products |
|
|
|
Other business related to the above |
|
URL: www.aromabit.com |
||
About Epson X Investment
Epson X Investment Corporation is a Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) firm wholly owned by information equipment and precision instrument manufacturer Seiko Epson Corporation. It established the “EP-GB Investment Limited Partnership” with independent venture capital firm Global Brain Corporation, which has strengths in CVC operations, as general partner and is conducting investment activities.
URL: https://www.epson-exi.com/
Kyocera Corporation (TOKYO:6971, https://global.kyocera.com/), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of fine ceramics (also known as “advanced ceramics”). By combining these engineered materials with metals and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of industrial and automotive components, semiconductor packages, electronic devices, smart energy systems, printers, copiers, and mobile phones. During the year ended March 31, 2020, the company’s consolidated sales revenue totaled 1.6 trillion yen (approx. US$14.7 billion). Kyocera is ranked #549 on Forbes magazine’s 2020 “Global 2000” list of the world’s largest publicly traded companies.
About TechAccel Ventures
TechAccel Ventures, LLC is a venture capital firm established and operated by Omron, Ricoh, and SMBC Venture Capital. It invests mainly in tech venture companies.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210208005274/en/
Contact information
[Inquiries regarding this announcement]
Aroma Bit, Inc.
Public Relegations Department (Matsumoto, Osamu)
TEL: +81-3-4455-4609 / Email: info@aromabit.com
Epson X Investment Corporation
Seiko Epson PR & IR Department (Muto, Nobuo)
TEL: +81-266-58-1705 or +81-3-5368-0961 / Email: info@press.epson.co.jp
KYOCERA Corporation
Corporate Communications (Usami, Masaru)
TEL: +81-75-604-3514 / Email: webmaster.cc@kyocera.jp
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Tigo Energy Drives Growth for UK Installers With Training, Support, and 211GWh in Optimization10.9.2026 08:00:00 EEST | Press release
Tigo Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: TYGO) (“Tigo” or “Company”), a leading provider of intelligent solar and energy software solutions, today announced that the Company will highlight key business and technical milestones in the UK market at the Solar & Storage Live UK 2026 trade show in Birmingham from September 22-24. In the wake of a cross-country installer training tour and the UK market release of the Tigo GO ESS platform, Tigo will focus its 2026 trade show presence in Birmingham on optimization and module-level monitoring with the Tigo TS4 MPLE product family, and welcome UK installers into the Advanced tier of the Tigo Installer Loyalty Program. Since 2017, installers across the United Kingdom have deployed Tigo MLPE devices at more than 20,000 customer sites, with a sharp increase beginning in 2023. With nearly 1000 install sites in the second quarter of 2026 and almost 500 sites in July alone. More than 98% of all Tigo MLPE devices installed in the UK feature optimization. Due to the
Ant International, Mastercard and Visa Initiate Collaboration on Know-Your-Agent Interoperability to Scale Agentic Commerce10.9.2026 04:00:00 EEST | Press release
Ant International, Mastercard, and Visa have begun collaboration on a Know-Your-Agent (KYA) interoperability framework, designed to help card networks, digital wallet ecosystems, agent platforms and marketplaces streamline agent onboarding and identification across networks, based on shared principles while preserving each network's own verification and decisioning processes. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260909003891/en/ Ant International, Mastercard and Visa initiate collaboration on Know-Your-Agent interoperability to scale agentic commerce AI agents are evolving from making recommendations to completing purchases on behalf of users. By 2030, AI agents are projected to orchestrate US$3 trillion to 5 trillion of global consumer commercei. Underlying the mega-trend is the KYA architecture of payment networks and service providers, which establishes requirements and accountability, verifies agent identities,
Cyclic Materials Opens America’s First Commercial-Scale Facility Delivering Automated Rare Earth Magnet Recovery9.9.2026 23:09:00 EEST | Press release
Cyclic Materials announced today the opening of its first commercial-scale rare earth magnet recycling facility in Mesa, Arizona, marking a major milestone in building domestic supply of rare earths and critical minerals. With an annual processing capacity of up to 25,000 metric tons of magnet-bearing end-of-life products, the facility produces Cyclic’s rare earth magnet material, Mag-Xtract™, and critical minerals such as copper and aluminum, and steel. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260909142592/en/ Leaders gather to mark the opening of Cyclic Materials’ new facility in Mesa, Arizona. From left to right: Herbert Flores, Arizona Commerce Authority Vice President of Business Development; Scott Somers, City of Mesa Vice Mayor; Jeff Dawley, Cyclic Materials CFO; Mark Freeman, City of Mesa Mayor; Ahmad Ghahreman, Cyclic Materials Founder and CEO; William Kimmitt, U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Internationa
Belkin Introduces Titan SmartShield Pro Collection for the New iPhone 18 Pro Lineup9.9.2026 22:00:00 EEST | Press release
Belkin, a leading consumer electronics brand for over 40 years, today introduced its new Titan SmartShield Pro collection, designed to protect and enhance the experience of the new iPhone 18 Pro lineup. The collection includes three distinct screen protectors – clear, Blue-to-Red and Bright Privacy – each combining advanced Nano-Titan Technology with premium anti-reflective properties, exceptional scratch resistance and up to 9 feet of impact protection.* This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260909094720/en/ Belkin Titan SmartShield Pro Blue-to-Red Light screen protector As smartphones become increasingly central to how people work, travel and connect, the Titan SmartShield Pro collection goes beyond traditional screen protection to address the different ways consumers use their devices throughout the day. Whether prioritizing crystal-clear viewing, greater visual privacy or a more comfortable screen experience, us
PPAI Releases Landmark Study Showing Branded Merchandise Supports a $472 Billion Global Economic Footprint9.9.2026 20:24:00 EEST | Press release
Branded merchandise connects brands and people every day, but its impact extends well beyond the products consumers wear, use, receive or purchase. A landmark study commissioned by Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) provides the first comprehensive look at the global economic ecosystem behind branded merchandise. Conducted by independent global advisory firm Oxford Economics, the Branded Merchandise Global Market Report measures the industry end to end, from manufacturing and decoration to distribution, retail, e-commerce, fulfillment, marketing and brand activation. Key findings: $338.3 billion was spent on branded merchandise globally in 2025. The industry supported $472.3 billion in global GDP. Branded merchandise supported 11.9 million jobs worldwide. The sector supported $141.3 billion in global tax revenues – roughly the same as the entire Swiss federal budget. “For years, we’ve known branded merchandise has an extraordinary ability to connect brands with peopl
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom