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
Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen3 Achieves First Flight, Advancing Next-Generation Light Jet Toward Certification29.7.2026 19:31:00 EEST | Press release
Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, recently achieved a key milestone as the Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen3 prototype aircraft completed its first flight, advancing the next-generation light jet toward certification. With this milestone, all three next-generation Citation light jets — the CJ4 Gen3, CJ3 Gen3 and M2 Gen3 — have entered flight testing, demonstrating continued momentum across the Cessna next-generation light jet portfolio. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260729333762/en/ Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen3 achieves first flight, advancing next-generation light jet toward certification. (Photo credit: Textron Aviation) “This achievement continues the forward momentum of the CJ3 Gen3 program and reflects the discipline, innovation and commitment of this team,” said Chris Hearne, senior vice president, Engineering & Programs. “Comprehensive flight testing will now begin for this aircraft with ri
SES Launches Multi-Orbit Satellite Connectivity on LATAM Airbus, Embraer Fleet29.7.2026 18:30:00 EEST | Press release
SES, a leading space solutions company, was selected by LATAM Airlines to provide multi-orbit inflight connectivity service to its growing fleet of Airbus and Embraer aircraft, solidifying SES’s position as the top provider of multi-orbit broadband service in the Americas and around the world. “LATAM’s passengers will soon benefit from reliable, multi-orbit satellite connectivity that will provide the same fast and dependable internet access they enjoy at home no matter where or when they fly. SES’s partnerships with airlines like LATAM highlight how carriers throughout the Americas are leading the way when it comes to the most advanced connectivity. SES is a trusted partner that powers inflight connectivity,” said Mike DeMarco, SES President of Mobility. More than 60 Airbus (A320NEO and A321XLR) and Embraer aircraft (E195-E2) will be equipped with SES services in the coming years. LATAM will be the largest airline in the region to offer service using SES’s new electronically steered a
Carta Rearchitects Private Capital Operations with Plugins for Claude29.7.2026 17:01:00 EEST | Press release
Carta, the connected platform and AI-native ecosystem for private capital, today announces broad availability of its suite of Plugins for Claude following the initial launch in April 2026. With more than 1,500 companies and firms already using the plugins, Carta is changing the way private capital teams — from founders to CFOs — fundamentally operate, bringing fund administration, cap table management, and dealflow analytics directly into the spreadsheets, presentations, and workflows they already use every day. "For the last decade, private capital operation teams have been held back by a hidden tax: the constant, manual handoff of data between disconnected systems," said Henry Ward, Carta CEO. "Carta is eliminating that broken loop entirely by embedding intelligence directly into the tools teams already use. We are not waiting for an AI-native future for private capital — it is running on Carta today." Carta didn't just give Claude a pipe to its data. Carta built its private-capital
VDyne Announces First Patient Treated in TRIVITA US IDE Pivotal Study of the TriNova™ Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Replacement System29.7.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
VDyne Inc. (“VDyne”), a privately held medical device company developing an innovative transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR) system, today announced that the first patient has been enrolled and treated in the TRIVITA US IDE pivotal study of the TriNova™ system. The randomized controlled study will compare TriNova head-to-head with the commercially available Edwards EVOQUE™ TTVR system. The TRIVITA trial (NCT07516444) initiation marks a significant milestone in advancing treatment for tricuspid regurgitation (TR). The prospective, global, multicenter, randomized (1:1) controlled study is designed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the TriNova TTVR system in patients with severe or greater tricuspid regurgitation who are suitable for valve replacement. The study will be conducted in the US and Europe with up to 70 sites participating. The first patient was enrolled at the Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, and tre
Grid Dynamics Accelerates Enterprise AI-Native Transformation With Workforce Certification and GAIN Platforms Rollout29.7.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Grid Dynamics Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: GDYN) (“Grid Dynamics”), a leading provider of technology consulting, platform and product engineering, and AI-driven digital transformation services, today announced significant momentum in the adoption of its enterprise agentic AI solutions. Organizations across retail, financial services, manufacturing, CPG, and logistics industries are increasingly deploying Grid Dynamics’ agentic AI-native platforms and Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE)-led services to accelerate software delivery, improve operational efficiency, and transform business processes at scale. Grid Dynamics is widely recognized for its enterprise AI expertise and delivery capabilities across Fortune 1000 organizations. Grid Dynamics has partnership agreements with Anthropic and OpenAI to accelerate the adoption of these platforms within enterprises. By the end of October 2026, Grid Dynamics plans to have 90% of its engineers trained and certified on these platforms. Built to suppo
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