All living things produce volatile organic compounds. These biochemical signals are a way to describe the nature and state of the world within and around us.
Imagine if you could interpret this natural language - you would be able to diagnose disease on your breath, the quality of the food you eat, the water you drink, and the air you breath.
Scentian Bio has the solution, 400 million years in the making. We are harnessing the powerful smell receptors from insects to deliver a sensor technology that will put nature’s language at your fingertips.
Imagine if you could interpret this natural language - you would be able to diagnose disease on your breath, the quality of the food you eat, the water you drink, and the air you breath.
Scentian Bio has the solution, 400 million years in the making. We are harnessing the powerful smell receptors from insects to deliver a sensor technology that will put nature’s language at your fingertips.
Location: New Zealand
Employees: 1-10
Total raised: $2.1M
Founded date: 2020
Investors 1
| Date | Name | Website |
| 17.06.2022 | Sprout Acc... | sproutagri... |
Funding Rounds 1
| Date | Series | Amount | Investors |
| 05.10.2023 | Seed | $2.1M | - |
Mentions in press and media 12
| Date | Title | Description |
| 27.05.2025 | Scentian Bio deploys AI-powered biosensor tech in trial with world’s largest kiwifruit marketer | Scentian Bio—a startup making biosensors utilizing insect olfactory receptors—is using its tech to help the world’s largest kiwifruit marketer determine the optimal time to harvest its fruit. The pilot project is backed by the Zespri Innova... |
| 11.03.2025 | Kiwi giant Zespri turns to climate resilience, decarbonization for next phase of its innovation fund | The world’s largest kiwi fruit marketer Zespri has reaffirmed its annual $2 million investment in ZAG, the Zespri Innovation Fund, and is now inviting innovators with climate-resilience solutions relevant to kiwi fruit to apply. “ZAG really... |
| 13.04.2024 | Toyota Ventures invested additional $300 M to build evolutionary startups | The early-stage venture capital division of Toyota, Toyota Ventures, has revealed plans to invest an additional $300 million in startups creating innovative business models and game-changing technologies. Toyota Ventures said in a statement... |
| 05.10.2023 | Scentian Bio: Biosensor Platform Company Secures $2.1 Million In Seed Funding Round | Scentian Bio – a biosensor platform innovator unlocking the power of insect-level smell and taste sensitivity – recently announced the closing of its $2.1 million seed round led by Finistere Ventures and Toyota Ventures, with participation ... |
| 28.09.2023 | The Week in AgriFoodTech: Paine Schwartz launches $1.7bn agrifood fund, Cricket One unveils new plant, Infarm ‘declared bankrupt’ | Agrifood’s biggest news this week is PE firm Paine Schwartz closing its $1.7 billion food- and agribusiness-focused fund. Fund VI is “exclusively focused on sustainable investments” in food and agribusiness, and the firm has already deploye... |
| 27.09.2023 | Scentian Bio raises $2.1m seed round to build biosensors inspired by bugs | Scentian Bio—a New Zealand-based startup making biosensors with potential applications in everything from food quality control to rapid testing for diseases such as tuberculosis—has raised a $2.1 million seed round. The round, led by Finist... |
| 27.09.2023 | Scentian Bio Closes $2.1M Seed Funding | Scentian Bio, an Aukland, New Zealand-based biosensor platform provider, raised $2.1M in Seed funding. The round, which brought the total amount to $4.4M, was led by Finistere Ventures and Toyota Ventures, with participation from Icehouse V... |
| 03.06.2021 | Going global with Sprout: Meet 5 startups that graduated from the Kiwi accelerator | New Zealand’s Sprout will kick off its latest accelerator program next month, and any entrepreneurs or startups interested in participating have just one more day to submit their applications. So if you’re at the last hurdle, wondering whet... |
| 31.05.2021 | Sprout’s new CEO on what drew him to New Zealand – and why startups should follow him there | Holstein Friesian dairy cattle grazing in New Zealand. Image credit: pelooyen / iStock When Israeli venture investor Gil Meron told colleagues that he was considering a career move to New Zealand, people thought he was mad. “They said: ‘It’... |
| 09.04.2021 | Sprout Agritech’s first-ever venture investment was 400 million years (plus 19) in the making | Andrew Králíček spent 19 years at New Zealand R&D institute Plant & Food Research (PFR), on an idea to use the olfactory receptors of insects to make a biosensor that can smell and taste, before he and his team took the plunge and l... |
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