Senecio Robotics chosen for COP29 as Israel highlights climate tech

Senecio Robotics, an Israeli company developing automated mosquito control systems, was selected in October 2024 to join Israel's official delegation to COP29 in Baku. The selection was made by the Israel Innovation Authority, the Foreign Trade Administration at the Ministry of Economy and Industry, and the Israel Export Institute to showcase Israeli climate technology on the international stage. Senecio is an EIC Accelerator beneficiary and says its partnership with global pest control firm Rentokil Initial and the EIC-funded RoboSIT project supported deployments of its AI-based SIT HUBs across seven Israeli municipalities in 2024.

What Senecio says it has built

Deployments, partnerships and funding history

Senecio reports that, with collaboration from Rentokil Initial, it deployed its RoboSIT SIT HUBs in seven Israeli municipalities during 2024. The municipalities named are Modi'in, Zihron Yaakov, Sde Warburg, Kibbutz Eyal, Nir Eliyahu, Atlit, and Beer Yaakov. The company says millions of sterile male mosquitoes were released in those areas to reduce local mosquito populations in public and private spaces. Hanan Lepek, CEO of Senecio, is quoted as saying he is proud to have improved safety and comfort for thousands of residents and looks forward to expanding the service internationally.

On the financing side, Senecio is a beneficiary of the EIC Accelerator programme. The company previously received EU support through the Horizon 2020 programme and earlier through the SME Instrument Phase 2. Senecio also lists other supporters and investors including the Israel Innovation Authority, the BIRD Foundation, Pamoja Capital, Ocean Azul and participation in the Creative Destruction Lab accelerator.

Intellectual property and commercial positioning

Senecio positions itself as a pioneer in automated SIT and claims an extensive patent portfolio covering AI methods, sorting, packaging, release mechanisms and mission planning. The company markets the SIT HUB as a commercially viable solution able to scale production of sterile male mosquitoes, a capability that it says helps secure commercial agreements with pest control companies like Rentokil. Partnering with a global operator gives Senecio wider market access for municipal and private contracts, but it also places the company in a commercial environment that will demand transparent efficacy data and regulatory compliance in each target market.

Technical, regulatory and evidentiary caveats

Automating SIT addresses clear operational bottlenecks but does not eliminate scientific and regulatory complexity. Key issues include ensuring high quality sterile males that remain competitive for mating after sterilization, reliable and species specific trapping and monitoring to measure impact, the method used for sterilization and its effect on insect fitness, routine pathogen screening for mass reared colonies, and managing risks from mass rearing such as inadvertent spread of pathogens or selection of resistant traits. Economic claims about healthcare savings and reduced insecticide use are plausible but require rigorous cost benefit analysis and independent epidemiological evidence tied to sustained population suppression.

Implications for market expansion and COP29 visibility

Selection for the COP29 delegation gives Senecio international visibility at a high profile climate event and highlights the Israeli government desire to showcase domestic climate and climate adaptation technologies. The Rentokil partnership could accelerate commercial rollouts because Rentokil brings operational reach and customer relationships. Nonetheless, buyers and public health authorities will expect independent, peer reviewed results and clear regulatory pathways before large scale procurement. The field is not without competitors and long running SIT programs run by public agencies and research institutions; therefore claims such as being the first commercially viable SIT solution should be treated cautiously and checked against broader market and scientific evidence.

The EIC community note accompanying Senecio's announcement also includes the standard disclaimer that the information is provided for knowledge sharing and should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission or other organisations.

What to watch next

Watch for independent field studies or peer reviewed publications detailing population suppression, cost comparisons with chemical control, metrics on sterile male mating competitiveness, and documentation of regulatory approvals in new markets. Commercial announcements about new municipality or country contracts, and further details on the Rentokil collaboration, will be important indicators of whether the technology can move from pilot deployments to sustained large scale programmes.