Y. Fan
Tendo Technologies, Inc.,
United States
Keywords: non-intrusive sensors, fill-level monitoring, industrial IoT, university spinout, technology commercialization, deep tech
Summary:
Tendo Technologies, a Princeton-based university spinout, began with the mission to commercialize advanced MEMS flow sensing technology developed through years of scientific research. As the team engaged with potential customers across various industries, they uncovered an unexpected but widespread challenge: the lack of real-time visibility into the fill levels of gas and liquid containers – an issue that leads to inefficiencies, waste, and added cost. During one of those discussions, a customer asked whether Tendo’s flow sensor could help track gas usage and inventory. That question became the turning point. The team realized that while the MEMS flow sensor was not the ideal tool for this problem, their deep understanding of sensing physics positioned them uniquely to tackle it. By returning to first principles, they developed a completely new, non-intrusive fill-level sensing technology capable of measuring liquid or gas content from outside the container, without any mechanical intrusion or process disruption. This talk shares Tendo’s journey from advanced MEMS research to a market-driven sensing platform that continues to evolve. It will highlight how the company balances scientific rigor with entrepreneurial agility, translating deep-tech innovation into commercially impactful solutions now drawing strong interest from the food and beverage, industrial gas, transportation, and liquid compounding industries.