AI Silk
AI Silk is a Sendai-based Japanese smart-textiles manufacturer that produces LEAD SKIN, a proprietary conductive polymer-coated fiber serving as electrodes for wearables, automotive sensors, and medical devices. The company sells B2B to enterprise OEMs in automotive, healthcare, and wearable technology sectors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersSendai-shi, Japan
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What AI Silk does
AI Silk Corporation is a Japanese smart-textiles company founded in June 2015 as a spinoff of Tohoku University, headquartered in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. The company manufactures and sells LEAD SKIN, a proprietary conductive fiber produced by coating substrates (polyester, synthetic leather, non-woven fabrics) with a uniform film of conductive polymer using textile dyeing techniques, yielding high and homogeneous conductivity (≤10Ω/sq). Its product portfolio spans the core LEAD SKIN conductive textile, the LEAD SKIN AIR dry-condition variant developed with Heraeus Epurio's PEDOT polymer, the stretchable AI SILK® variant, and derived application products such as textile touch sensors, automotive steering wheel biometric sensors, textile pressure sensors using electrical impedance tomography, and a haptic metaverse glove.
The company serves enterprise customers across three primary verticals: automotive (e.g., BMW Group via BMW Startup Garage, in-cabin touch and steering wheel sensing), healthcare/medical devices (Fukuda Denshi strategic collaboration, ECG and vital sign monitoring electrodes), and wearable technology (Japan's top fitness provider for EMS apparel, plus consumer wearables and sports applications). It goes to market primarily through direct B2B sales and OEM material supply, supplemented by an online shop (shop.ai-silk.com, launched July 2024) for domestic R&D customers, and relies heavily on global trade show presence (CES, VIVA TECHNOLOGY, MEDICA, ISPO Munich, nano tech, Japan Mobility Show) and government/JETRO internationalization programs for demand generation.
Revenue is generated through hardware sales of conductive textiles and licensing/co-development arrangements with partners such as Heraeus Epurio (material supply) and Analog Devices (AD5940 analog front-end reference design). The company has raised a Series A first close of ¥320 million (~USD 2.35M) led by Global Brain in May 2023, alongside earlier seed investments from Draper Nexus, Asics Ventures, MTG, Tohoku University Venture Partners, 77 Capital, and Future Partners, and a follow-on corporate investment from Fukuda Denshi in June 2024. As of May 2025, AI Silk had 20 employees (including contractors), ¥99 million in paid-in capital, and three facilities in Miyagi Prefecture (headquarters, Sendai laboratory, and Murata production factory).
AI Silk firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AI Silk
- Legal name
- エーアイシルク株式会社（英文名称：AI SILK CORPORATION）
- Website
- https://ai-silk.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- AI Silk is a Sendai-based Japanese smart-textiles manufacturer that produces LEAD SKIN, a proprietary conductive polymer-coated fiber serving as electrodes for wearables, automotive sensors, and medical devices. The company sells B2B to enterprise OEMs in automotive, healthcare, and wearable technology sectors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AI Silk industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Conductive Textiles
- NAICS
- Textile and Fabric Finishing and Fabric Coating Mills (3133), Fabric Coating Mills (313320)
- SIC
- Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Smart & Conductive E-Textiles (Heated Textiles/Sensors/EMI Shielding/Antistatic) (IMAOADAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Protective & Safety Textiles (FR/Arc/Heat/Cut/Chemical) (IMAOADAA)
Keywords
Where AI Silk is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sendai-shi
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices3 records
Markets served
AI Silk business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- LEAD SKIN Conductive Textile Sales: AI Silk manufactures and sells LEAD SKIN conductive textiles (electrodes) and LEAD SKIN (electrodes) application-related products. Revenue is generated through direct B2B sales to wearable device manufacturers, automotive companies, and medical device makers, as well as through an e-commerce online store for R&D customers.
- Technology Licensing and Co-development: AI Silk licenses its proprietary LEAD SKIN TECHNOLOGY and collaborates with partners on co-development of application-specific solutions, including integration into EMS apparel, in-vehicle sensors, and medical devices.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | LEAD SKIN ST sample sheets (10cm x 10cm and 20cm x 20cm) sold online for R&D purposes within Japan |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
AI Silk product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AI Silk manufactures and sells LEAD SKIN, a proprietary conductive textile (electrode) made by coating fibers with a uniform film of conductive polymer using textile dyeing techniques, plus LEAD SKIN AIR, a dry-condition metal-free variant. The company supplies these conductive textiles as OEM materials to enterprise customers in the automotive, healthcare/medical device, and wearable/EMS apparel sectors, and sells research-sized samples (LEAD SKIN ST) through its own e-commerce shop within Japan.
Product overview
AI Silk is a smart textiles company that produces conductive fibers and related products. The core product line consists of LEAD SKIN, a conductive fiber manufactured with proprietary dyeing-based coating technology, and LEAD SKIN AIR, a dry-type variant that works without gel or water. These materials serve as electrodes for wearables (ECG, heart rate monitoring), automotive applications (touch sensors, steering wheel sensors, seat pressure sensors), and medical devices. LEAD SKIN TECHNOLOGY is the underlying platform enabling conductive coatings on various fibers. The company sells LEAD SKIN ST (10cm×10cm and 20cm×20cm) through its AI SILK Online Shop for R&D purposes. Application products include Textile Touch Sensors, Automotive Steering Wheel Sensors, and Textile Pressure Sensors using EIT technology. AI Silk also offers the stretchable functional conductive textile branded as AI SILK® for automotive solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- LEAD SKIN: High-performance conductive fiber manufactured with dyeing techniques, providing high and homogenous conductivity for wearable devices, automotive, and medical applications.
- LEAD SKIN AIR
Products and services
- LEAD SKIN A conductive fiber manufactured using proprietary dyeing-technique coating, where the entire fiber surface is coated with a uniform film of conductive polymer. Functions as an electrode for wearables, automotive interiors, and medical devices. Achieves high, homogeneous conductivity (≤10Ω/sq), includes antibacterial/antiviral performance, and electromagnetic shielding (28GHz–37.2 dB).
- LEAD SKIN AIR Dry-type conductive textile that does not require gel pads or water for superior skin contact. Made with a metal-free conductive polymer (PEDOT/Clevios from Heraeus Epurio) ensuring silky smoothness and skin safety. Used for EMS equipment, ECG sensing devices, and sports apparel; effective in dry conditions with antibacterial/antiviral properties and corrosion resistance to sweat and washing.
- LEAD SKIN ST LEAD SKIN conductive textile sample sheets sold in 10cm x 10cm and 20cm x 20cm sizes through the AI SILK Online Shop (shop.ai-silk.com) for research and development applications. Ships within Japan only via Yamato Transport with bank transfer prepayment; consumption tax 10% applies.
- AI SILK Stretchable Functional Conductive Textile Stretchable functional conductive textile product for automotive interior applications, showcased at the Japan Mobility Show 2024 as a solution for the automotive industry.
Quantifiable outcome
- Electrical conductivity ≤10Ω/sq (as of October 2021)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use AI Silk
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
AI Silk technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature6 records
AI Silk partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Fukuda Denshi Co., Ltd.coreFukuda Denshi, a leading Japanese medical device manufacturer (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 6960), made an additional investment in AI Silk and strengthened collaborative relations. The partnership aims to expand sales of medical-grade conductive textiles, which AI Silk positions as a future main business. Fukuda Denshi brings medical device development expertise to combine with AI Silk's conductive textile technology for medical applications.
- JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization)coreJETRO supports AI Silk's international expansion by facilitating participation in major overseas tech events including Japan Pavilion at VIVA TECHNOLOGY 2024 in Paris, and support at Web Summit 2022 in Lisbon.
- NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization)coreNEDO, Japan's national R&D agency, collaborated with AI Silk for its exhibition at nano tech 2024. NEDO has also previously supported AI Silk through its R&D Venture Support Program. The partnership focuses on promoting AI Silk's conductive smart textile technology through NEDO's innovation acceleration initiatives.
- Heraeus EpuriocoreHeraeus Epurio, the manufacturer of the pioneering conductive polymer PEDOT (Clevios), collaborated with AI Silk to develop LEAD SKIN AIR. Heraeus provides the metal-free conductive polymer material that enables LEAD SKIN AIR's dry-condition performance, silky smoothness, and skin safety. Exhibited together at CES 2024.
- Berkeley SkyDeck (UC Berkeley)coreAI Silk was selected for JETRO's Startup City Acceleration Program (SCAP) 2022 and received mentorship and support from Berkeley SkyDeck, the UC Berkeley-affiliated accelerator, to build overseas market expansion and networks.
- BMW Group (BMW Startup Garage)flagshipAI Silk was selected as a finalist in the BMW Startup Garage program in July 2022, which supports innovative startups developing future automotive solutions. Following this, AI Silk collaborated with BMW Group and exhibited at the GRIC 2023 conference in the BMW Group sponsor booth, showcasing LEAD SKIN-based Textile Touch Sensors for automotive interiors.
- Analog Devices, Inc.coreAnalog Devices adopted its analog front-end IC (AD5940) as the reference design for AI Silk's fiber sensor equipment using LEAD SKIN. This joint solution enables high-precision biometric signal acquisition (ECG, bioimpedance) for wearable health monitoring applications. Also recognized as an analog/devices collaboration case at the Innovation Leaders Summit.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
AI Silk competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Toray Industries, Inc. Global Japanese materials giant with extensive functional and technical textile operations including conductive and sensor fabrics. Broad incumbent serving similar automotive, apparel, and medical end-markets with a much larger portfolio.
- Asahi Kasei Corporation: Major Japanese diversified materials and sensor manufacturer with a textile and functional-materials division. Comparable as an established incumbent that supplies specialty textiles and electronic materials into automotive, healthcare, and wearables markets.
- Teijin Limited: Japanese advanced materials company with aramid, carbon, and high-performance fiber products serving automotive, protective, and industrial textile markets. Comparable as a large incumbent with technical-textile capabilities overlapping with AI Silk's substrate-coating expertise.
Direct peers
- AiQ Smart Clothing Inc. Taiwan-based direct competitor that designs and manufactures conductive and biometric smart textiles for sportswear, healthcare, and industrial applications. Closely comparable to AI Silk in product category (conductive textile electrodes/biometric sensing) and target OEM customers.
- Myant Inc. Canada-based smart textile platform producing conductive-knitted sensors integrated into apparel for continuous biometric monitoring. Direct peer because of shared focus on textile-based electrodes for health/wellness and similar B2B OEM sales motion.
- Hexoskin (Carré Technologies): Designs smart garments with embedded textile electrodes for ECG, respiration, and activity monitoring. Comparable to AI Silk in wearable biometric electrode technology and target markets (health, sports, research).
- Sensoria Health: US-based developer of textile-sensor garments (smart socks, shirts) and a cloud platform for health monitoring. Direct peer in conductive-fabric biometric sensing for consumer and clinical applications.
- Clothing+ (Jabil): Finland-origin smart-textile sensor manufacturer (now part of Jabil) producing textile electrodes for ECG, EMG, and fitness wearables. Closely comparable in OEM textile-electrode manufacturing and integration with major wearable brands.
Emerging players
- Xenoma Inc. Japan-based e-textile smart apparel startup with printed-circuit stretchable electronics for motion and vital-sign monitoring. Domestic regional peer with overlapping smart-textile wearable technology and target use cases.
Others
- Heraeus Holding GmbH: German specialty materials group whose Heraeus Epurio unit supplies PEDOT:PSS (Clevios) conductive polymers — the key chemistry used in AI Silk's LEAD SKIN AIR product. Comparable as an enabling supplier and ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
AI Silk social profiles
Digital presenceAI Silk compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
AI Silk financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AI Silk leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
AI Silk funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AI Silk M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AI Silk
What does AI Silk do?
AI Silk manufactures and sells LEAD SKIN, a proprietary conductive textile (electrode) made by coating fibers with a uniform film of conductive polymer using textile dyeing techniques, plus LEAD SKIN AIR, a dry-condition metal-free variant. The company supplies these conductive textiles as OEM materials to enterprise customers in the automotive, healthcare/medical device, and wearable/EMS apparel sectors, and sells research-sized samples (LEAD SKIN ST) through its own e-commerce shop within Japan.
Is AI Silk a public or private company?
AI Silk is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was AI Silk founded?
AI Silk was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is AI Silk based?
AI Silk is headquartered in Sendai-shi, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does AI Silk make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. LEAD SKIN Conductive Textile Sales are the primary driver. The others are technology Licensing and Co-development.
Who are AI Silk's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Toray Industries, Inc., Asahi Kasei Corporation and Teijin Limited. Direct peers are AiQ Smart Clothing Inc., Myant Inc., Hexoskin (Carré Technologies), Sensoria Health and Clothing+ (Jabil). Xenoma Inc. is listed as an emerging player. Heraeus Holding GmbH is listed as an others.
Does AI Silk have an API?
No public API is recorded for AI Silk.
What industry is AI Silk in?
AI Silk's product category is Conductive Textiles. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAOADAM, Smart & Conductive E-Textiles (Heated Textiles/Sensors/EMI Shielding/Antistatic), with a secondary code of IMAOADAA, Protective & Safety Textiles (FR/Arc/Heat/Cut/Chemical). Its NAICS code is 3133 and its SIC code is 2300.