Hoofprint Biome develops an enzyme feed additive that tweaks the cow rumen microbiome to suppress microbes that generate methane while increasing nutrients available to the animal. The enzymes are derived from the rumen itself and will be produced using yeast, similar to other industrial enzymes. The company targets a 5% improvement in feed efficiency (more pounds gained per unit of feed). Co-founders Kathryn Polkoff (CEO, PhD in animal science) and Scott Collins developed the approach with a farmer-facing focus on productivity and animal health. Hoofprint plans to use its latest financing to trial the enzymes on farms. The startup frames methane reduction as necessary but emphasizes that improved productivity will drive farmer adoption. Hoofprint Biome was founded by two NC State Ph.D. graduates to improve cattle gut health and reduce methane through an engineered probiotic. The company engineers Saccharomyces boulardii to deliver novel methane-preventing enzymes into the rumen while providing feed-efficiency benefits. Hoofprint is licensing NC State research-based patents and Crook’s patented delivery techniques to build its product. The startup plans to use most of its initial capital on in vivo trials and expects to double its four-person team by next year. It operates from NC State’s Plant Sciences Building on Centennial Campus and emphasizes farmer-friendly, easy-to-deploy dried-yeast feed formulations. The founders are also Breakthrough Energy Innovator Fellows and have pursued university commercialization support including the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund and a Daugherty Endowment prize.

Total raised

$18M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Apr 2025