Osmo, a startup backed by Lux Capital and Google Ventures, has opened a new dedicated production site and headquarters at 585 Kapkowski Road in Elizabeth. — Photos by Alexander Severin / Courtesy: KSS Architects
By Joshua Burd
A startup has opened its new headquarters and production site in Elizabeth, where it will hone a technology that uses artificial intelligence to create and detect smells.
The company, Osmo, is leasing the roughly 60,000-square-foot space at 585 Kapkowski Road under a previously announced deal with Bridge Industrial and Elberon Development Group. The facility marks its first dedicated production site, combining office, laboratory and manufacturing space to support its mission of digitizing the sense of smell to improve human health and wellbeing.
KSS Architects spearheaded the project, while Rock Brook led the engineering design for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection and information technology and security systems. JLL’s Chris Hile and Doug Rodenstein represented ownership at the property near Port Newark-Elizabeth, while Newmark’s Brian Waterman, David Waterman, Al Petrillo, Christopher Koeck and Zach Brenner represented Osmo, which was founded in early 2023 with a mission to give computers a sense of smell to improve human health and happiness.
“Osmo’s innovative work of translating one of our most human senses into a digital language demands a space as ambitious as the company itself,” said Scot Murdoch, a partner with KSS Architects. “Our design draws directly from the science of scent, using ideas of concentration, mixing and dissipation to shape how people gather and move through the space.”
Founded by Alex Wiltschko, Osmo uses machine learning to digitize scent and revolutionize olfactory science through its groundbreaking Olfactory Intelligence, according to a news release. The space is designed with future expansion in mind, incorporating a flexible architectural framework that is meant to evolve alongside the firm’s rapidly advancing technology.
It also balances the site’s existing industrial concrete structure with organic materials, tactile fabrics, natural wood and abundant daylight, KSS said. That includes lighting that is strategically placed throughout the facility, evoking dissipated scent molecules across open ceilings in social and circulation areas, while sharpening into concentrated, directional zones within laboratories and manufacturing spaces.
“This facility is the physical embodiment of what we’re building, a place where the science of smell and the technology to digitize it can happen under one roof, at scale,” said Alex Wiltschko, founder and CEO of Osmo. “The team took the time to truly understand the science, and it shows in the design. We’re proud to call Elizabeth home, and this space gives us everything we need to keep pushing the frontier of olfactory intelligence forward”
According to KSS, the design also leverages existing windows to draw daylight deeper into the interior, while a walking path along Newark Bay opens views toward the water and connects staff to the surrounding landscape. Planters, meantime, are placed throughout the space and built into stacked, stadium-style seating in the breakout room and café, while open sightlines between offices, labs and shared spaces foster cross-disciplinary collaboration and create room for the facility to grow alongside Osmo’s research.
The KSS team included Murdoch, associates Jennie Himler and Mariela Hernandez and Shelby Ulrich, an interior designer with the firm. Those on hand for the May 12 ribbon cutting ceremony included Chief Operating Officer for the State of New Jersey Kellie Doucette, Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage and key members of Osmo’s executive team.
“We’re democratizing access and unlocking a new world of fragrance for brands of all sizes, and this facility will expand that potential exponentially,” Wiltschko said. “We chose New Jersey because of its long history of manufacturing excellence. As we grow, we look forward to demonstrating The Garden State’s potential to become the modern epicenter for AI-driven industrial growth and workforce development.”
Osmo, AI-powered scent startup, takes 58,000 sq. ft. at Bridge, Elberon warehouse in Elizabeth
