5 Precision Feeding Startups Making Livestock Care Efficient
Traditional feeding practices in animal nutrition involve standard diets that aim to meet the nutritional needs of the average animal. This approach does not account for individual dietary needs based on an animal’s age, health, productivity level, or genetic makeup. It can lead to inefficiencies such as overfeeding or underfeeding, which can cause health problems, wasted feed, and increased production costs.
The limitations of conventional feeding methods have spurred the development of precision feeding technologies.
Precision feeding addresses these challenges by tailoring the diet to meet the needs of each animal/species. This approach optimizes animal health and productivity, minimizes waste, and reduces the environmental impact of farming practices.
Precision feeding ensures that each animal receives the required nutrients using advanced sensors, data analytics, and automated feeding systems.
This article enlists five growth-stage precision feeding startups transforming the animal nutrition industry through personalized solutions. These startups have the potential to grow rapidly, are in a good market position, or can introduce game-changing precision feeding solutions to the market in the next 2-3 years.
This makes them a great option to partner, collaborate, or acquire.
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1. Ittinsect Feeding Biotechnology Treated Food to Fish for Better Health and Environment
| Founding Year | 2021 |
| Headquarters | Rome, Lazio, Italy |
| Total Funding Amount | €900K |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Pre-Seed/€625K |
| Website | https://ittinsect.com/ |
The aquaculture industry follows unsustainable practices of traditional fish feed production. Conventional methods often rely on fishmeal and fish oil derived from wild-caught fish, contributing to overfishing and the depletion of marine biodiversity.
These traditional feeds are environmentally unsustainable but also inefficient regarding nutrient absorption by farmed fish.
To address these issues, Ittinsect has developed a range of aquafeed products that incorporate biotechnologically treated insects, microalgae, and agricultural by-products. Its innovative approach uses a biotechnological process to enhance the bioavailability of nutrients from these sustainable sources, making the feed more digestible and nutritionally effective for aquaculture.
The company has developed various product lines, including feeds for trout and sturgeon, with plans to expand to other species like sea bass, sea bream, salmon, and tilapia.
Ittinsect’s technology improves the sustainability and efficiency of aquafeed. The startup’s use of enriched insect meal and other bio-based ingredients reduces the reliance on marine resources and decreases the environmental impact associated with traditional feed production.
Founder and CEO Alessandro Romano has led this startup with extensive leadership and management experience.
Ittinsect raised its latest funding of €625K from a pre-seed round on Feb 20, 2023.
2. BioFeyn Delivering Targeted Nutrition With Feyn Technology to Fishes
| Founding Year | 2020 |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts, US |
| Total Funding Amount | $854.9K |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Seed |
| Website | https://biofeyn.com/ |
Traditional aquaculture, especially salmon farming, has issues such as inefficient nutrient utilization and the environmental impact of overusing high-value ingredients like omega-3 fatty acids. It leads to increased production costs and scarce resource wastage. Excess nutrients that fish cannot absorb also contaminate water bodies.
To counter these problems, BioFeyn has developed a novel technology called Feyn, which is a targeted, modular delivery mechanism.
This technology encapsulates essential nutrients and compounds within a biodegradable shell, enhancing absorption and bioavailability. These nutrients are efficiently delivered to the needy tissues, ensuring optimal growth and health of the fish. Notably, this method allows the precise administration of high-value ingredients and potentially reduces the required amount by up to ten times.
BioFeyn’s approach uses biotechnology derived from human medicine (encapsulation technology) to enhance fish feed efficiency. It involves advanced biopolymer blends that match specific nutrients to optimize protection and delivery.
Timothy A. Bouley is the co-founder and CEO of this startup, which he has led since its inception. He is a biotechnology entrepreneur who has worked in human, animal, and environmental life sciences.
Bouley Spent seven years at the World Bank building programs in infectious disease and planetary health.
He is a trained physician and environmental scientist with bioethics knowledge. In his impressive work experience, Bouley founded multiple startups, worked in consultant roles, and was part of organizations like WHO and the University of Oxford.
BioFeyn’s latest seed funding round was on Feb 28, 2022, for an undisclosed amount.
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3. Aquafort Making Aquaculture Easy with IoT Sensors and Farm Management Software
| Founding Year | 2020 |
| Headquarters | Newfoundland, Canada |
| Total Funding Amount | Undisclosed |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Undisclosed |
| Website | https://aquafort.ca/ |
Aquaculture is essential for the global food supply but faces significant sustainability challenges. The industry struggles with high operational costs, environmental degradation, and the need to improve fish farming’s health and yield.
Traditional aquaculture practices also lead to environmental degradation, including water pollution and the overuse of chemical treatments.
Aquafort has developed a suite of digital tools tailored to solve these issues in aquaculture management. The startup offerings include AquaSense, AquaFarm, and AquaLytics.
IoT sensors, farm management software, and a data analytics-based support tool. The tools can help optimize farm conditions in real-time environmental monitoring and make predictive, informed decisions.
The startup integrates technology across various aspects of farm management, from operational efficiency to environmental sustainability. These systems facilitate a significant reduction in harmful substances such as pesticides and antimicrobials and improve the sustainability of water use.
Bo Simango is the co-founder and CEO of Aquafort, having led it since its inception. He is also a partner with Fundada Labs, a Member of the Sierra Club of Canada’s board of directors, and a senior consultant (Corporate Development) at GIS Ventures.
Simango has experience as a co-founder and business development lead for a startup, a management analyst, and a value creation lead.
He holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Memorial University of Newfoundland.
4. GoSmart Precision Farming Providing Real-Time Monitoring with Biomass Camera and Environmental Sensors
| Founding Year | 2020 |
| Headquarters | Israel |
| Total Funding Amount | Undisclosed |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Undisclosed |
| Website | https://www.gosmartfarming.com/ |
Traditional fish farming often struggles with resource wastage and lacks precise, real-time data to optimize fish growth and health, leading to increased costs and environmental degradation.
To address these problems, GoSmart has developed an integrated technology suite for precision farming. This suite includes an underwater unit with a Biomass Camera, environmental sensors, a Control Box, and a comprehensive Software Web Application.
The Biomass Camera, equipped to withstand harsh conditions and operate up to a depth of 60 meters, provides vital data on fish size distribution and population density. Sensors measure critical parameters like oxygen levels and temperature. This data is fed into the control box and managed through GoSmart Software. This software analyzes the data to give farmers actionable insights, enabling precise feed calculations and health monitoring.
The startup’s technology allows for continuous, live-stream monitoring and analysis of various farming parameters, which can be accessed from any location via cloud services.
This system’s design minimizes human intervention by utilizing solar energy and remote management capabilities, making it suitable for diverse aquatic environments, from inland ponds to open sea farms.
The startup is under the guidance of co-founder and CEO Josef Melchner. He has ten years of experience in project management and business development in the aquaculture market.
Josef holds a B.Sc. in Marine Biology from the Ruppin Academic Center in Israel and an MBA from the Open University of Israel.
Related Read: Innovative AI Tools for Animal Health Diagnostics
5. Precision Livestock Technologies Modernizing Cattle Farming with Bunk Systems and Machine Vision
| Founding Year | 2019 |
| Headquarters | Dallas, Texas, US |
| Total Funding Amount | $600K |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Seed/$600K |
| Website | https://www.precision-livestock.com |
Traditional livestock management methods, particularly in the cattle industry, rely on manual observations and routine checks. This can be time-consuming, error-prone, and inefficient. These conventional approaches can lead to delayed interventions for health issues, inconsistent feeding practices, and reduced productivity and profitability.
To enhance cattle farm operations, Precision Livestock Technologies has developed innovative solutions, such as the PLT Bunk Management System and a health management system with machine vision technology.
The Bunk Management System monitors feed bunks and analyzes cattle feeding behavior to optimize feed delivery and reduce waste. It utilizes AI to deliver data-driven insights and recommendations and ensure that cattle receive the right amount of feed at the right time.
The startup’s health management system employs advanced machine vision to monitor cattle continuously and help early detection of health issues. This proactive approach helps in timely medical intervention, reducing the need for broad antibiotic treatments and improving overall animal welfare. It improves meat quality and higher productivity.
The startup is led by Timothy L. Robertson, owner and CEO. He is currently the executive chairman of Precision Livestock Technologies and the president and owner of TLR Ventures.
Robertson has 15+ years of experience in startup processes. He founded and led multiple startups as CEO, CTO, President, and consultant.
Tim has a Ph.D. in quantum physics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an A.B. in experimental physics and cosmology from Princeton University. Robertson holds over a dozen US patents and authorizes more than 40 scholarly publications.
In its latest seed funding round on Mar 24, 2021, Precision Livestock Technologies has raised $600K.
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Authored By: Naveen Kumar, Market Research
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