British tech company OW Smell Digital have raised £1 million ($1.3 million or over R16.48 million) in seed funding in a round fronted by by Parkwalk Advisors and are hoping to launch it on the forthcoming virtual platform.
Emanuela Maggioni, founder and CEO of OW Smell Digital,told UK Tech News: “We are looking to interrupt a marketplace dominated by technologies reliant solely on sound, vision and increasingly, touch.”
The project began as a spinout from the University of Sussex and UCL, OW and Emanuela went on to explain that smells are emotive and the sense is the "missing piece of the puzzle" when it comes to the Metaverse.
She said: "Our sense of smell has the power to evoke long-forgotten memories, bring food to life, calm us down and enrich our lives. The sense of smelling is the missing piece of the puzzle when it comes to creating a truly immersive and lifelike-believable world. We create smell technologies that can be used across a range of innovative contexts. From leading healthcare research to artistic and immersive experiences, our products offer a total digital command over scent and smell."
Parkwalk - the company behind the initial fundraiser - said that they were "very happy" to support the team with their venture as they explained that OW could bring an "impact" to the world that has "never been seen before."
John Pearson, Director of Investments said: "We are very happy to support the OW team, where Emanuela and Marianna bring a wealth of technical, commercial and entrepreneurial knowledge and skills. This is an exciting company. OW provides a unique innovation to design, produce and evaluate olfactory sensations. and the impact these can have on individuals we have never seen before."
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