26 June 2023
Irish agri-tech start-up StrongBó has closed a €750,000 seed funding intended to commercialise its Automatic Animal Weighing device, which the company believes is "poised to revolutionise the beef production sector."
The investment was led by New Zealand-based animal management solutions provider Gallagher, with contributions from Enterprise Ireland's High Potential Start-up fund, the 519 Growth Fund and the Grand River Agricultural Society, both based in Canada.
StrongBó's hardware-enabled software collects 'frequent animal weights,' which are then analysed to help farmers with daily decisions about and future planning for their livestock.
The product utilises big data and real-time animal performance monitoring to modernise livestock management and sustainability practices.
“We are delighted to secure this funding round with such a significant mix of globally recognised industry players and seasoned investors like Enterprise Ireland," said Micheál McInerney, co-founder and CEO of StrongBó.
Irish agri-tech start-up StrongBó has closed a €750,000 seed funding intended to commercialise its Automatic Animal Weighing device, which the company believes is "poised to revolutionise the beef production sector."
The investment was led by New Zealand-based animal management solutions provider Gallagher, with contributions from Enterprise Ireland's High Potential Start-up fund, the 519 Growth Fund and the Grand River Agricultural Society, both based in Canada.
StrongBó's hardware-enabled software collects 'frequent animal weights,' which are then analysed to help farmers with daily decisions about and future planning for their livestock.
The product utilises big data and real-time animal performance monitoring to modernise livestock management and sustainability practices.
“We are delighted to secure this funding round with such a significant mix of globally recognised industry players and seasoned investors like Enterprise Ireland," said Micheál McInerney, co-founder and CEO of StrongBó.
"Our latest innovation allows farmers to gain new insights into how their animals are actually progressing.
"StrongBó provides average daily gains so farmers can see how much the animals are growing, and how much weight they're putting on. You can’t manage what you don’t measure.”
Sarah Adams, general manager of strategy and new ventures for Gallagher Animal Management, said the partnership would address "core pain points farmers face while also enabling innovative technology to come through."
"Being able to regularly weigh livestock while in the paddock can mean real savings in labour output and potentially down the track it may enable them to track the more feed efficient animals and lower greenhouse gas emitters," she added.
"Remote weighing also keeps cows on-feed 24/7, allowing them to maximise weight gain, therefore reducing the need and stress from traipsing up to the yard for weighing.
Adams said Gallagher had been seeking a remote weighing tool for a while, and that StrongBó was an ideal fit as a partner.
McInerney and co-founder Ivan Wahlrab designed the hardware in Ireland feeling that digitisation had left the beef production sector behind despite sweeping advancements in farm automation.
Since designing and testing the device on Irish farms, StrongBó has expanded internationally with an initial focus on Canada, where Marty Metzger, of Metzger Veterinary Services, joined as an additional co-founder.
The company is based at NovaUCD after securing funding from the European Space Agency and now has a subsidiary in Hamilton. StrongBó also worked closely with the ifac food and agribusiness advisory team to complete this round of funding.
StrongBó CTO Wahlrab said the partnership with Gallagher gives the company a "heightened opportunity to introduce the benefits of remote weighing into New Zealand’s pasture-based farming systems."
“We’re really proud to be aligning with Gallagher in this way, it’s a partnership that has already been hugely beneficial for us as we’ve gained enormous insight into the global agribusiness sector and what is involved in taking an innovative, technology-driven idea into the prototype phase, and ultimately out to the wider market," he added.
Photo: Micheál McInerney and Marty Metzger, with a StrongBó automatic animal weighing device. (Pic: StrongBó)
Source: Business Plus