Ajinomatrix CEO François Wayenberg Has Joined Founder Institute LP Network: A Strategic Leap in the Global Sensory Intelligence Landscape

August 2025 | Rebecq / Berlin / Palo Alto

Ajinomatrix is proud to announce a significant milestone in its global journey: François Wayenberg, Founder & CEO of Ajinomatrix, has officially been recognized as a Limited Partner (LP) within the Founder Institute Venture Network, joining the ranks of strategic innovation backers powering the world’s most ambitious startups. As Ajinomatrix clears the stage to reach a unicorn valuation by the end of the year, more is yet to come - let me develop.

This recognition cements a deeper alliance between Ajinomatrix and the global FI ecosystem, which played a critical role in Ajinomatrix’s early development through the Berlin Virtual Fall 2020 cohort. The company’s inclusion in the prestigious FI50 Index, and now within the FI Venture Network as an LP, illustrates a complete lifecycle of entrepreneurial maturity—from early vision to platform orchestration.

As a Limited Partner, François Wayenberg is no longer just a founder. He is now actively contributing to the funding infrastructure that supports pre-seed founders worldwide, positioning Ajinomatrix not only as a technological frontrunner in sensory intelligence, but also as a strategic investor in the deeptech and sensory AI revolution.

Ajinomatrix is already valued at over €620M, with a bold trajectory toward unicorn status by December 2025. Its proprietary FEELLM platform and MP6 Sensory Data Standard are redefining how AI understands and simulates multisensory environments, powering innovations across foodtech, health, automotive, and smart living ecosystems.

This LP designation arrives at a pivotal moment. Ajinomatrix is expanding the Ajinomatrix Hub of Startups, an internal accelerator of sensory ventures and data standardization spin-offs (from aquaponics to neural taste modeling), inspired by the very roots of its Founder Institute special assignment—a thesis on platform transition and early clustering strategies.

Wayenberg’s entry into the LP Network complements Ajinomatrix’s presence in the EIT Digital portfolio, under the leadership of CEO Frederico Menna, who shares a pan-European vision for strategic innovation.

We believe this is the right moment to forge stronger synergy between Founder Institute founder Adeo Ressi and EIT Digital, to cross-pollinate funding frameworks and startup methodologies across continents, and so improve the situation of entrepreneurship ecosystems all accross Europe.

“We are not merely building a company. We are platforming a new sensory paradigm—digitizing scent, taste, and multimodal perception to build a world where AI can feel. The LP milestone is a symbolic return to where it all began—with Founder Institute—and a stepping stone toward building a global sensory intelligence consortium,” says François Wayenberg.

As Ajinomatrix leads the emergence of sensory AI as a horizontal layer across industries, this announcement marks not only a personal recognition, but also a systemic affirmation: that visionary leadership, technological integrity, and strategic reinvestment go hand-in-hand in building the next generation of platform unicorns.

Stay tuned as we launch our Ajinomatrix LP Impact Series, highlighting our reinvestment model across European and global clusters—from Finland to Japan, from micro-aquaponics to metaverse olfactory labs.

For partnership inquiries, investment briefings, or hub membership: contact@ajinomatrix.com | www.ajinomatrix.com