New Zealand agtech startup, which developed a GPS-enabled solar collar that “guides” cows around pastures using sound and vibrations, has raised NZ$85 million (A$79.5m) in a Series C.
The round was led by US VC Bessemer Venture Partners with existing backers Blackbird, Rocket Lab founder Peter Beck Kiwi VC Icehouse Ventures and DCVC.
Mechanical engineer Craig Piggott launched Halter in 2016, aged 22, with the support of Beck, his former boss at Rocket Lab.
Halter previously raised A$29 million (NZ$32m) in Series B in 2021.
The subscription collar is designed to create fenceless farming, with the ability to keep livestock away from waterways and other sensitive environments, alongside being able to monitor herds around the clock and let farmers shift their herd remotely . The company has registered the term “cowgorithm”.
The Halter collar gathers five data points a second on every cow, which can offer proactive insights into the health of every animal, leveraging the data to detect subtle changes in animal behaviour that can alert farmers when a cow is on heat, lame or calving before the animal shows any visible signs.
The technology is leased under a per-cow subscription model based on farmers’ required features, while Halter retains ownership and maintenance of the collars.
Bessemer partner Tess Hatch is joining the Halter board. While the company still operates out of Auckland, with a pilot farm in New Zealand’s Waikato region, towards the northwest tip of the North Island, the business is now registered in the US.
The fresh capital will be used to improve the tech behind the cow fitbits.
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