ORIX Invests in Liberaware, a Small-Scale Industrial Drone Start-Up

TOKYO, Japan - September 1, 2021 - ORIX Corporation (“ORIX”) announced today that it has invested in Liberaware Co., Ltd. (“Liberaware”), a company that develops small-scale industrial drones for indoor use.

Established in August 2016, Liberaware is a start-up company that develops the IBIS small-scale industrial drone designed for indoor use. Liberaware develops both the hardware and software for IBIS in-house; the drone’s core capability is visualizing spaces that are dangerous for or inaccessible to humans, such as chimneys, pipes, boiler interiors, and attics. IBIS is already being used to carry out facility inspections at industrial plants and to digitize structures, and is thereby contributing to improved safety and operational efficiency in the iron industry, the construction industry, and the electrical industry.

The ORIX Group has sold and leased drones through ORIX Rentec Corporation since 2017; the Group provides a variety of drone services^*1, including a drone training school, aerial filming agency, and indoor inspection service. In addition, in May 2019, ORIX invested in Drone Fund 2, officially known as Chiba Dojo Drone Fund II Investment Limited Partnership^*2.

Through its investment in Liberaware, ORIX intends to strengthen its partnerships with technologically capable drone companies; by fusing Liberaware’s expertise with the ORIX Group’s drone services, it hopes to encourage the increased use of drones in society.

ORIX will continue to combine its Japanese sales networks and other management resources with start-up companies that possess advanced technologies and expertise; in this way, it hopes to contribute to the resolution of corporate management issues.

*1 For further information, please refer to the news release: “ORIX Rentec Introduces a Spherical Drone and 100 MP Camera in its Drone Photography Service“ (August 29, 2019)
*2 For further information, please refer to the news release: “ORIX Invests in Drone Fund 2“ (May 7, 2019)

■ Overview of the IBIS (facility inspection-type) small-scale industrial drone

Size	191 × 179 × 54 mm (including propeller guards)
Weight	185 g (including battery)
Flight time	Max. 8 minutes
Equipment	LED lights, dust-proof motors, etc.
Usage scenarios	Inspections and measurements of places that are either dangerous for or inaccessible to humans, including chimneys, pipes, boiler interiors, and attics; the IBIS is particularly advantageous from safety, time, and cost perspectives on sites where scaffolding would be required for human access.

■ Overview of Liberaware

Company name	Liberaware Co., Ltd.
Address	3-3-1 Chuo, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Chiba
Representative	Hongkyu Min
Date of establishment	August 2016
Number of employees	31 (correct as of September 2021)
Description of business	Development of small-scale, non-GPS drones optimized for industrial use; development of systems that make use of IoT technologies and AI
Website	https://liberaware.co.jp/ (in Japanese)

Contact Information:
Investor Relations and Sustainability Department
ORIX Corporation
Tel: +81-3-3435-3121

About ORIX:
ORIX Corporation (TSE: 8591; NYSE: IX) is a financial services group which provides innovative products and services to its customers by constantly pursuing new businesses.
Established in 1964, from its start in the leasing business, ORIX has advanced into neighboring fields and at present has expanded into lending, investment, life insurance, banking, asset management, automobile related, real estate and environment and energy related businesses. Since entering Hong Kong in 1971, ORIX has spread its businesses globally by establishing locations in 31 countries and regions across the world.
Going forward, ORIX intends to utilize its strengths and expertise, which generate new value, to establish an independent ORIX business model that continues to evolve perpetually. In this way, ORIX will engage in business activities that instill vitality in its companies and workforce, and thereby contribute to society. For more details, please visit our website: https://www.orix.co.jp/grp/en/
(As of March 31, 2021)

Caution Concerning Forward Looking Statements:
These documents May contain forward-looking statements about expected future events and financial results that involve risks and uncertainties. Such statements are based on our current expectations and are subject to uncertainties and risks that could cause actual results that differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, those described under “Risk Factors” in the Company’s annual report on Form 20-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and under “(4) Risk Factors” of the “1. Summary of Consolidated Financial Results” of the “Consolidated Financial Results April 1, 2020 – March 31, 2021.”