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
Wolters Kluwer integrates Libra AI workflows into monKEY for Belgian tax professionals24.9.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory today announced the integration of Libra AI workflows in monKEY, its research platform for tax professionals in Belgium. The add-in of Libra by Wolters Kluwer enables customers to directly access Libra’s AI capabilities from the trusted research environment in monKEY, combining generative AI with tax research based on long-trusted expert content. “By integrating Libra into monKEY, we are taking another important step towards connected, AI-powered workflows for our customers,” said Rimco Spanjer, Vice President & Managing Director, Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory Benelux. “We are bringing together the power of AI and the trusted, up-to-date tax content professionals rely on every day. This helps them reach relevant insights faster while staying connected to the underlying domain expertise.” The integration also marks an important milestone in the expansion of Libra by Wolters Kluwer beyond legal workflows, bringing trusted AI capabilities to tax profe
SES Advances Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Luxembourg24.9.2026 09:50:00 EEST | Press release
SES, a space solutions company, has commenced construction of a new satellite manufacturing facility in Kockelscheuer, Luxembourg, marking a major milestone in the company’s vertical integration and business model evolution. The facility will enhance SES’ ability to design, develop and manufacture critical satellite technologies, accelerating the deployment of next-generation satellite networks and secure communications solutions. It will also help create a hub for innovation and enable SES partners and ecosystem with opportunities. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260923560183/en/ SES Advances Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Luxembourg The new facility in Kockelscheuer is at the center of Luxembourg’s effort to build and scale a dedicated Space Campus to stimulate New Space companies and industrial collaboration, and serve as a center for engineering, testing, manufacturing and assembly, accelerating devel
NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS Launches “Pro”, a New docomo business SIGN ® Offering for Large-Scale Global Connected Products24.9.2026 05:00:00 EEST | Press release
NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Inc. (formerly NTT Communications Corporation) announced today the launch of "Pro," a new offering in the docomo business SIGN®1 lineup, an IoT-focused Network as a Service (NaaS) with built-in security features. Designed to support the large-scale and global deployment of connected products, “Pro” helps customers manage and operate tens of thousands of IoT connections. The service will be available from March 2027. This new offering addresses the challenges of achieving more advanced operational management through the centralized management of domestic and international IoT connectivity, operational automation, and system integration, while also enhancing security. It will reduce the operational burden on customers while supporting the continued delivery of value through connected products and services. 1. Background In recent years, against the backdrop of labor shortages resulting from Japan’s declining birthrate and aging population, various industries, such as
HeadFirst Global Becomes Vertage, Uniting 11 Businesses in a Single Work Orchestration Platform24.9.2026 02:01:00 EEST | Press release
HeadFirst Global, a leader in work orchestration, today announced it will become Vertage, as it builds a global technology platform that dynamically curates the right mix of expert talent and AI agents to deliver the work outcomes enterprises need. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260923823506/en/ Edzard Overbeek, Group CEO at Vertage The €10 billion group is bringing its 11 operating businesses together under the Vertage name, platform, and operating model. Vertage starts with a foundation few can match: 1.5 million specialists, more than €10 billion in gross invoice value from multi-sector enterprise customers and governments, and delivery across 80 countries. The capabilities come from the 2024 integration of HeadFirst Group and Impellam Group, which combined technology and data with leadership in global managed services and specialist talent communities, and from the group's subsequent expansion into India.
Grid Dynamics Co-Hosts Physical AI Summit Alongside NVIDIA, EAIGG, and BGV to Accelerate Manufacturing Automation23.9.2026 23:05:00 EEST | Press release
Grid Dynamics Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: GDYN) (“Grid Dynamics”), a premier AI transformation partner for the Fortune 1000, announced today that it is co-hosting the Physical AI Summit alongside NVIDIA, EAIGG, and BGV. The invite-only working forum will bring together participants from enterprises, Physical AI startups, and investors on September 24, 2026, at the Wells Fargo Innovation Center in Menlo Park, CA. Centered on the theme "From World Models to Real-World Control," the summit will focus on the practical challenges of deploying, scaling, and operating Physical AI systems in production. Grid Dynamics' participation builds on its strategic partnerships with NVIDIA and Doosan Robotics, expanding its Physical AI capabilities to advance enterprise robotics applications. Ilya Katsov, CTO, Americas at Grid Dynamics, will lead a session titled "Operationalizing Physical AI: Lessons From the Field." The session will draw on Grid Dynamics' experience deploying Physical AI, including humano
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