Feanix Biotechnologies
Farm Genetics Made Easy - Using DNA and Software
Feanix is a trailblazing force in the trillion-dollar animal breeding industry. Feanix leverages proprietary genetic testing advancements to provide genetics and breeding as a service.
Active Founders
Mitchell Angove
Hi, I am Mitch and I am a Co-Founder of Feanix Biotechnologies. At Feanix we focus on utilizing DNA to create a new generation of efficient and healthy agriculture. I grew up on a farm and have spent a lifetime in agriculture working to make a better future of food. I have a Bachelors in Genetics and a Masters in Animal Science.
Meia Alsup
Co-Founder and Software Lead at Feanix Bio. Organic Farm Inspector. ex-MIT, ex-[Google] X.
Tom Bishop
Co-founder and CSO of Feanix Biotechnologies. Completed a BSc with honors in Biochemistry and PhD in Genetics at the University of Otago in New Zealand. Was a Postdoctoral Scholar in the department of Animal Science at UC Davis for five years. Research highlights include developing a chemical treatment to improve regeneration of non-regenerative tissues, developing a transgene to differentiate between X and Y chromosome sperm, and developing a new method for transgene delivery to avian embryos.
Company Launches
📈Revenue: We launched our first test at the end of March and have done over $100,000 in cumulative revenue
🚜Market: Animal breeding is a trillion dollar industry with no recent innovation.
❌Problem: 85% of the 10 million baby dairy calves born each year die early, wasting a 12 month and $2,000 investment per animal.
❔Why: Herds today suffer from a proliferation of genetic defects due to massive inbreeding over the past 50 years. Farmers are not scientists and are not empowered to make breeding decisions to mitigate these issues. Instead, a dairy farmer chooses a father for their herd almost at random - taking into account only observations scribbled on paper.
✨Solution: Breeding as a service. Our breeding software platform, powered by our proprietary genetic testing, makes the optimal breeding decision easy. Farmers juggle many roles, we make sure geneticist is not one. With Feanix, farmers minimize wasted pregnancies, create healthy and productive cows, and can focus on running their business.
⚙️How it Works: Farmers send us a single hair from their cows. We genetically test each hair for mutations. Using machine learning, we search the bank of parent genetics available to find each cow’s perfect match. Farmers approve their matches. We then order the semen and make their pregnancies happen.
⏳How we got here: In an effort to improve his hobby racing pigeon flock, Tom discovered two new genetic technologies. The first, a way to extract DNA from just a single feather. The next, a novel mutation detection method. Our team quickly realized the potential of Tom’s inventions to revolutionize agriculture. We then developed a software platform based around machine learning and genetic matching to best utilize the genetic information farmers receive from our tests.
We Live and Breathe Agriculture
🐄 Meia: Obsessed with making science usable for farmers. 5+ years in software + ML, organic farm inspector, previously ML Infra Lead in ag-tech at [Google] X, BS and Masters from MIT. Chat with me about #farm-software #strawberry-flavor.
🐦 Tom: Drives our scientific vision. Raised on a New Zealand dairy farm, understands the science behind everything ag, BS, Honors, PhD, and Post-Doc in Agricultural Genetics, avid pigeon racer and geneticist. Chat with me about #pigeon-racing #invasive-species
🦒 Mitchell: Empowers farmers with our technology. 23+ years experience in dairy farming. Previous research lead at the largest dairy ag company. B.S in Genetics and Masters in Animal Science from UC Davis. Chat with me about #rewilding #farm-economics
We want to see a world without agricultural waste, don't you?
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If you know any farmers or Ag Companies who might benefit, please give us an intro!
founders@feanixbio.com
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