CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--C2Sense, building the world’s largest digital olfactory platform to transform smell into real-time data, today announced it has raised $3.2 million in seed funding from investors including The Engine, Dream Incubator, Propel(x) Investors, Boston Millennia Partners, Castor Ventures, Newlin Investment Company and TLP. Today’s investment, led by The Engine, includes participation from existing investors Breakout Labs and Cranberry Capital. Until now, there’s been no good solution in connecting the world of smell to the Internet of Things and creating a digital sense of smell. Gases are mostly invisible, and the real world comes with a complex mixture of different compounds that are difficult to distinguish. Founded in 2014 by some of the world’s most prominent experts in sensing technologies from MIT, C2Sense’s patented gas-sensing technology can be designed to detect almost any compound, and through C2Sense’s data platform and service, customers can access information and recommendations quickly and easily. Since the company’s founding, C2Sense’s technology has drawn immediate traction in a variety of applications, from detecting food freshness markers to estimate remaining shelf life and reduce waste, to monitoring toxic gases to protect workers. “C2Sense is the first to build a digital olfactory platform for the industrial internet of things, transforming smell into real-time data that can be accessed remotely,” said Jan Schnorr, CEO of C2Sense and a co-inventor of ethylene sensing technology. “With our investors’ unparalleled experience in working with companies building scientific breakthroughs, C2Sense is now able to take a big leap forward in connecting the real world of smell with the digital world of data.” As part of The Engine’s investment, Reed Sturtevant will be joining C2Sense’s board of directors. The investment in C2Sense marks one of first investments ever made by The Engine, founded by MIT in 2016 to focus on startups working on tough tech innovations. “The Engine was created to focus on founders working on tough tech — companies with massive ambitions that are working on transformative innovations to solve some of the world’s most complex challenges. In building the underlying technologies to enable a robust and highly accurate Internet of Things platform for smell, C2Sense is making the invisible visible.” - Reed Sturtevant, General Partner at The Engine “Newlin Investment Company invests for two reasons - disruptive technology and great leadership. C2Sense has both in spades - a platform sensing technology created by a brilliant world class scientist in MIT professor Tim Swager, technology which will change the fruit and vegetable industry, and an excellent, visionary in CEO Jan Schnorr." - William Newlin, Chairman at Newlin Investment Company "C2Sense is the world's first company to digitalize olfaction. We believe their disruptive technology will enable us to sense smells whenever, wherever, and whatever. Dream Incubator is very delighted to work with Jan and his team on this wonderful and exciting journey, especially in Asia where automation needs in agriculture and food industries are extremely high." - Hiroshi Nakano, Business Producer at Dream Incubator About C2Sense C2Sense is building a digital olfactory sensor for the industrial internet of things and transforming smell into real-time data that can be accessed remotely. Through patented sensing technology, C2Sense is able to selectively, and with high accuracy, target gases unable to be sensed through other methods. C2Sense’s digital sense of smell can be broadly deployed because the technology is small, portable, and affordable. C2Sense’s founding team includes MIT professor Tim Swager, who has worked on sensor technologies for over 30 years, and Jan Schnorr, a co-inventor of ethylene and other sensing technology. http://www.c2sense.com
A US tech firm has raised $3.2m in seed funding to help develop olfactory sensors that can turn smells into real-time data for use in connected devices. The company, founded in 2014 by scientists from MIT, has patented gas-sensing technology that can be used to detect a large number of compounds. Potential applications for the technology include monitoring the freshness of food products and detecting toxic gases. The funding round's investors include The Engine, a company established at MIT to invest in tech start-ups.