TUM graduates receive nine million euros

The software start-up Sento can convince US investors with its shopping software.

Munich-based SaaS start-up Sento has raised nine million euros in a financing round. Among the investors is New York venture capitalist Insight Partners, which has also invested in Twitter and Shopify. The software is designed to make it easier for retailers to collaborate with suppliers. Invoice data, order data and delivery bills are to be exchanged more easily. This is still a problem in the food sector in particular, according to Sento founder Felix Krauth: "In most supermarkets, orders are still sent by fax and e-mail." The software helps by providing a programming interface so that retailers can dock onto suppliers' existing merchandise management systems and vice versa. This would eliminate the need for lengthy in-house developments and expensive integration projects. Krauth had started Sento together with fellow students Lucian Riediger and Nimar Blume.

This attracted other backers, such as Picus Capital, Decorn Celonis and Stefan Jeschonnek and Jan Deepen. Sento's software is already in operation in many retail chains, including Edeka, Rewe, DM and Alnatura. Since November 2021, the number of customers has increased eightfold, according to Krauth. One reason for the rapid growth is primarily food startups that participated in the TV show "Die Höhle der Löwen." "These are growing at an above-average rate, which means we are growing with them," according to Krauth. Other customers include startups Vly, porridge maker 3Bears and Waterdrop.

The software is not only to be used in the food industry. Krauth explains: "What works in the food sector can of course also be implemented for many other industries, such as fashion or electronics.