Startup Uses Personalized Scent Technology to Treat Sleep Problems

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Kimba, a startup founded by Ben Foxbrunner and Gabi Beck, raised $6.5 million to market an AI sleep device that uses personalized scent therapy. The company says clinical studies showed improved sleep and cognition, and it is already selling in the U.S. with an Israel launch planned.

הידיעה ב-5 שורות · תקציר של baba

Kimba raised $6.5 million in seed funding for AI-based scent therapy.
Founder Ben Foxbrunner built the product after PTSD and chronic insomnia.
The system is sold in the U.S. for $299 and will soon launch in Israel.
A 50-person study found 21% better cognition and 86% reported improved sleep.
Two additional Israeli clinical studies are now testing the technology.

Kimba, a sleep-tech startup founded by CEO Ben Foxbrunner and CTO Gabi Beck, has raised $6.5 million in seed financing. The company built an AI-based device that aims to improve sleep and recovery through personalized scent therapy, developed with sleep and neuroscience researchers.

Foxbrunner, a former fighter in the Oketz unit, was critically wounded during Operation Protective Edge and later developed post-traumatic stress and chronic insomnia. After years of searching for relief, he and Beck, while studying mechanical engineering at Tel Aviv University, began researching sleep and smell and created the system Foxbrunner says he needed himself. The product is named Kimba after his dog, which was injured in the same incident, saved his life, and did not survive.

Foxbrunner said, “We live in an era of a global epidemic of stress and sleep disorders.” He added that the company uses smell to help the body and brain reach a calmer, more balanced state, with scents tailored to each user’s patterns. Kimba was formally established in 2024, has 10 employees, mostly in Israel, and is already available to order in the United States. It is expected to launch in Israel soon, with a package including the device, software and six months of personalized scents priced at $299.

The round was led by Selva Ventures, with participation from Resolute Ventures, Able Partners, Barrel Ventures, Palette Ventures, Supermoon Capital, Air Ventures, Beyond 22 and Fresh Fund of the late Zachi Jamal, an early investor. The financing came in two stages, a $1.1 million pre-seed and a $5.4 million seed. Kimba says clinical studies showed significant improvements versus placebo, including a 21% gain in cognitive performance and self-reported sleep improvement from 86% of 50 participants over 48 nights in a University of Haifa study led by Prof. Peretz Lavie and Dr. Anat Arzi. Two more Israeli studies are now underway, one using EEG to measure brain activity directly and another testing effects on sleep, recovery and mental health in veterans with PTSD.

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