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
Phenom Adds Major Headline Speakers as IAMPHENOM Europe Approaches Sold-Out Status6.10.2026 16:30:00 EEST | Press release
Phenom, the leader in applied AI built to redesign work operations for hiring faster, developing better and retaining longer, today announced the newest wave of speakers for IAMPHENOM Europe 2026, the only applied AI event dedicated to human resources taking place on 4-5 November in Paris, France. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261006714151/en/ Phenom announced the newest wave of speakers for IAMPHENOM Europe 2026, the only applied AI event dedicated to human resources taking place on 4-5 November in Paris, France. The two-day conference gives attendees what other HR events can’t: an inside look at AI agents already in production, automated workflows tailored to specific business contexts and the dramatic results they are already delivering. Across keynotes, customer sessions, hands-on experiences and peer networking with the continent’s top CHROs and HRIT decision-makers, guests can participate in discussion
European Firms Struggle to Keep Pace with Growing DSAR Demands, New Reveal Study Finds6.10.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
New research published today byReveal, the provider of integrated AI-native platforms spanning the dispute resolution lifecycle, found that large European organisations complete fewer than half of data subject access requests (DSARs) within the one-month deadline required under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a shortfall the study ties directly to a near-universal absence of purpose-built technology. Nearly nine in 10 organisations still run DSARs on manual or general-purpose workflows, with no dedicated tooling in place. The report, based on a survey of 213 legal and privacy professionals at large European enterprises, is the first of its kind to benchmark how organisations across the region are managing DSAR compliance at scale. The findings expose structural inconsistencies between how organisations perceive their DSAR processes and how those processes perform. Ninety percent of respondents said they are confident their process would withstand scrutiny from an Informa
Rochester Electronics Launches Localized E-Commerce Experiences Across Key Global Markets6.10.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Rochester Electronics today announced the launch of fully enabled e-commerce capabilities across its regional websites, allowing customers in key global markets to search for, source, and purchase authorized semiconductors in their local language. While Rochester's regional sites previously offered localized content and product information, they now support a complete end-to-end purchasing experience. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261006914131/en/ Rochester Electronics Launches Localized E-Commerce Experiences Across Key Global Markets The newly upgraded platforms are now live in Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Mexico), French, German, Italian, and Polish, complementing Rochester’s existing full e-commerce platforms in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (South Korea). Customers can now complete transactions directly through their local sites, simplifying sourcing, improving efficiency, and reducing process
Xsolla Shows Brand Owners How to Create Value for Video Players at Brand Licensing Europe With Rewarded Marketing6.10.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Xsolla, a global commerce company, today announced it will be at Brand Licensing Europe 2026 at ExCeL London, October 6 to 8, to show brand owners how to engage with video game players by creating quest-based programs and value new users actually value. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261006443167/en/ Graphic: Xsolla Video games are one of the largest categories of entertainment spending in the world, yet most brands still treat the category as an experiment: a one-off promotional stunt or a single media buy, not a lasting engagement program. The traditional formats brands default to were never built for players. Interstitial pop-ups disrupt gameplay, banner ads go unnoticed, and in-game activations remain cumbersome and expensive to execute. The idea is already proven in games, where players have purchased, collected, and valued digital items for years. The relationship between players and games is built on t
New Global Survey Finds Majority of VMware Users Are Choosing Alternative Paths for Cost Control, Roadmap Flexibility and Better Support6.10.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Rimini Street, Inc. (Nasdaq: RMNI), the Software Support and Agentic AI ERP Company™ and the leading third-party support provider for Oracle, SAP and VMware software, today announced findings from the 2026 IT Virtualization Survey – What’s Next for VMware Users, a new global survey of nearly 300 VMware user organizations conducted by Unisphere Research on behalf of Rimini Street. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261006014490/en/ New Global Survey Finds Majority of VMware Users Are Choosing Alternative Paths for Cost Control, Roadmap Flexibility and Better Support Cost Cited as the Number One Factor in Seeking Alternative VMware Solutions Key Findings: 90% of respondents said they are considering alternatives to VMware due to higher licensing costs, while 54% cited the end of perpetual license support as another reason to evaluate other options. The research shows that cost remains the leading driver of virtuali
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