Our founder and CEO Scott Dancy has been named a finalist in EY’s Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 New York program.
For more than forty years, the program has recognized founders and leaders driving business innovation. Past honorees include Howard Schultz of Starbucks, Eric Yuan of Zoom, and Allison and Stephen Ellsworth of Poppi.
But for Dancy, the journey began in 2018.
Faced with a simple but stubborn problem—a persistent mildew smell in his laundry room—he was frustrated with ineffective, short-term fixes. That’s when a friend introduced him to pure Australian tea tree oil.
Tea tree oil has been used for thousands of years as a natural odor eliminator, with Australian-sourced oil known for its exceptional quality. When it finally solved his problem, he saw its potential. It became the foundation of Azuna’s signature product: a line of long-lasting, Australian tea tree oil-based odor-eliminating gels.
Now, what started as a solution for a household problem has become a household name. Azuna is the world’s largest purchaser of pure, undiluted Australian tea tree oil, and our product line has expanded into cleaning wipes, room sprays, and a category-defining collection of pet odor eliminators. We’ve shipped over a million orders nationwide to more than 600,000 customers.
“When I founded Azuna, I set out to create something fundamentally different from what’s on the market,” said Dancy. “Our mission is simple: to redefine the standard for air care and make Azuna a trusted name in every home. I’m honored by this recognition and proud of how far we’ve come.”
The New York finalists will be recognized and winners will be announced at the New York awards celebration on June 16, 2026.
