SwineTech developed SmartGuard, a farrowing platform for swine houses that monitors and analyzes data around sow health, pregnancy and piglet-related indicators. The system tracks signals such as temperature shifts and signs that labor is imminent to help identify sows that may need intervention. The company positions SmartGuard as a tool to streamline caregiver workflows rather than replace human caregivers, improving onboarding and prioritization in farrowing houses. SwineTech plans to expand its technology by adding computer vision to monitor birth and animal development at a deeper level. Financially, the company recently raised a $5 million Series A1 (after a $1.3 million Series A in 2017) and will use the proceeds primarily to ramp up sales and marketing for its second-generation product suite once COVID-19 passes. Over the past year SwineTech has expanded its team and secured partnerships with major North American pork producers as well as Kansas State University and North Carolina State University. SwineTech builds a wearable device for sows plus stall-mounted sensors that detect piglet squeals and send an impulse to a mother when she is crushing a piglet. The stall device is trained to pick up the specific squeal of a suffocating piglet, and the wearable also provides broader health data for the sow (a "Fitbit for pigs"). The company aims to substantially reduce early-life piglet deaths—85% occur in the first four to six days—and address a global problem the article cites as 116 million piglet deaths worldwide. SwineTech plans to use its recent funding to manufacture devices and officially commercialize the product and already has a few large paying customers. Future product plans include digital tools for documenting antibiotic use and improved data streaming to vets and other stakeholders. The company has received backing from organizations including the Iowa Department of Agriculture and has participated in accelerators and pitch competitions that helped it gain investor interest.

Total raised

$6M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Apr 2020