Agri-tech innovator Bovonic has secured $940,000 capital investment to fast-track delivery of its mastitis detection technology to dairy farmers.
Farmer’s Weekly reported in October last year that Bovonic founder Liam Kampshof had developed a user-friendly mastitis detection technology, called QuadSense, that dairy farmers can install in milking cups.
QuadSense incorporates a milking sensor in each cup, allowing it to test each quarter individually rather than the entire cluster, Kampshof said.
It’s a small sensor that farmers can install themselves by simply opening the cup and inserting the sensor and it runs on AA batteries, eliminating the need for an electrician.
“The sensors measure the conductivity of the milk, as most milk metres do. Our innovation is that we are measuring and comparing quarter conductivity,” Kampshof said.
QuadSense starts measuring milk as soon as the cups are on, and gives a result after just a minute. It gives a red-light alert when mastitis is present.
The funding was finalised this March.
“More than 450 farmers have registered their interest in our product with 400 units already pre-ordered by New Zealand farmers,” Kampshof said.
“With the level of demand we’ve received, we made the decision to commercially launch the technology at this year’s National Fieldays rather than later in 2024.”
The innovation was first showcased in 2021.
“We’ve designed QuadSense to be accurate, fast, and easy to use, but at $500 per QuadSense unit, per bail, it delivers an economically viable option for dairy farmers,” Kampshof said.
The capital round, which has been led by venture capital investor Pacific Channel alongside Enterprise Angels, MIG Angels and NZVC, follows an initial $750,000 investment from Pacific Channel.
“The capital will be used to ramp up production. It will also allow us to start building connections overseas so we can trial QuadSense in other markets”
Key initiatives Bovonic will prioritise with this new funding include the development of advanced features such as hygiene checks and integration with rotary milking systems.
