Unichem to buy e-skin startup Loomia for up to $6.3M
What's the deal? UnichemDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a 50-year-old South Korean industrial materials maker, has signed a term sheet to acquire 100% of Loomia TechnologiesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Brooklyn-based flexible electronics deep-tech firm, at a valuation of up to $6.3 million. The company disclosed the deal on August 5.
What each company does: Unichem manufactures natural leather and automotive interior materials. LoomiaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, founded in 2014 by Stanford-trained Madison Maxey, developed the Loomia Electronic Layer (LEL) — an ultra-thin circuit that embeds into leather or fabric so surfaces can heat, sense pressure and temperature, and transmit data.
What's the endgame? Unichem wants to move from car interiors into smart materials for humanoid robots, medical devices, wearables, and AI data centres. It plans to combine Loomia's flexible tactile sensors with its leather-processing know-how to build large-area electronic skin (e-skin) covering robot hands, grippers, and outer shells.
Why now? Loomia sits inside HAND ERC, a consortium — with industry members including Meta and Amazon RoboticsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → — focused on improving tactile sensing in robotics. It has also held talks with US robotics firms on applying its technology to physical AI, including training gloves for building robotics datasets.
The terms: The final deal caps enterprise value at $6.3 million and blends staggered cash payments, Unichem common stock, and performance-linked consideration. Some payment comes at closing; the rest follows as Loomia hits agreed technology and revenue milestones. Exact cash, stock, and convertible-bond ratios will be set after due diligence.
What changes: Loomia's founder and key R&D staff stay on. Maxey and Unichem chief strategy officer Kim Han-joo are set to become co-chief executives, while chief technology officer Ezgi Ucar leads global R&D. The Brooklyn unit becomes Unichem's North American research and US market base.
Loomia already has automotive traction: through parts supplier SabeltDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, it was selected to supply seat-heating systems for the Volkswagen GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s ecosystem vehicle programme, using LEL to deliver thinner, more flexible heating than conventional wires.
The signal: The deal is a small but pointed bet that materials suppliers can climb the value chain as humanoid robots and physical AI create demand for touch-sensitive surfaces. For a legacy leather maker, buying a flexible-electronics startup is a play to turn passive materials into intelligent ones.
Read more: Edaily
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
