The founder's journey: from personal struggle to pioneering solution

Kimba's story began with co-founder and CEO Ben Fuxbruner's personal battle. Following a severe injury, he faced months of insomnia, nightmares, and PTSD. This led him to experiment with scents as a sleep aide, a personal breakthrough that became the foundation for his startup Kimba. His goal to help millions worldwide elevate their sleep using AI scent technology is now backed by leading experts like sleep scientist Prof. Peretz Lavie and neuroscientist Dr. Anat Arzi.

Research indicates that specific aromas can induce relaxation and optimize physiological responses like heart rate and brain activity, paving the way for deeper, more restorative sleep. Indeed, olfactory stimulation in particular, refers to the ‘process of engaging the sense of smell, or olfaction, through exposure to odors’. This process is especially powerful because the olfactory system has a direct pathway to the limbic system, the part of the brain responsible for emotion and memory consolidation.

Kimba's approach leverages this scientific understanding, personalizing the therapeutic benefits of scent to each individual's unique sleep cycle. Its technology harnesses the close link between the olfactory system and the brain regions involved in emotion and memory processing. By targeting these areas, olfactory cues during sleep can significantly enhance sleep quality and cognitive function. Fuxbruner and the Kimba team identified the remarkable capabilities of olfaction to develop a user-friendly product that could bring the immense benefits into every home.

How it works: AI that adapts to your sleep habits

The Kimba platform is built on three pillars designed to aid poor sleep sufferers. Firstly, a proprietary smart sleep diffuser distributes custom scents precisely timed to improve and optimize sleep. Secondly, biometric data collected from wearable devices is seamlessly integrated into the Kimba app which then optimizes the scent therapy according to unique sleep and health patterns.

Kimba's AI engine is built on Google Cloud in order to intelligently schedule the precise timing and type of scent to release during sleep. Using Firebase, Kimba manages vast amounts of real-time physiological data from users and wearable devices. This data helps the AI identify sleep stages and adjust the scent therapy throughout the night to optimize for deeper, more restorative sleep.

Kimba's CTO, Gabi Beck, explains it simply: "The combination of timing and specific scent types is unique for each person, making AI essential for personalizing the right stimulation."

Using AI to drive innovation

The Kimba team uses Gemini API— integrated with BigQuery— to analyze physiological data and a user's response to scents, rapidly identifying patterns and extract insights from large, complex datasets. Based on these analyses, they are developing machine learning models with Vertex AI to tailor scent configurations to each person’s physiological profile. They deploy these models in real time to trigger the optimal scent stimulation at just the right moment.

This scientific approach is validated by leading experts, including sleep scientist Prof. Peretz Lavie and neurobiologist Dr. Anat Arzi, and through an ambitious clinical trial roadmap with ongoing studies at prestigious institutions like The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, University of Haifa and Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. This not only validates Kimba’s product but also continues to generate the unique data that makes their AI smarter.

Indeed, Kimba has already conducted various studies to examine the product’s impact on different aspects of sleep including average heart rate, insomnia, and sleep efficiency. One of the trials resulted in 73% of participants falling asleep faster on scent nights, with 75% increasing their total sleep time by an average of 20 additional minutes per night.

Fueling growth with Google for Startups

Fuxbruner's experience highlights a crucial lesson for founders: "My own experience highlighted a critical gap in traditional sleep solutions," he says. "We saw an opportunity to create something truly personalized—a solution that adapts to the individual in real-time."

The Kimba team also tapped into the power of the Tel Aviv startup community via the Google for Startups Founders at Campus program. "Working side-by-side with startups at different stages means we truly help each other. It's a very fruitful companionship where we learn from each other's journeys," shares Fuxbruner. This partnership has provided mentorship, strategic guidance, and crucial visibility within the global startup ecosystem – a very motivated way to get a bit more sleep and improve performance.”

With funding secured and a growing team, Kimba is poised for significant expansion. By combining personal insight, evolving AI, and a robust technology stack, Kimba isn't just selling a product—it's offering a pathway to a better night's sleep and more productive days.