DARO is a technology company.
DARO has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round.
DARO has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
DARO has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
DARO's investors include Grit Road Partners, Invest Nebraska, M25.
DARO is a biotech startup founded in 2023 in Lincoln, Nebraska, developing pathogen detection systems for early disease detection in livestock, primarily focusing on swine. The company provides whole-population, non-invasive molecular testing that scans thousands of animals at once to identify shedding pigs early, enabling farmers and veterinary teams to prevent outbreaks and make informed decisions for healthier herds.[1][3][5][6] Serving pork producers and veterinary teams in the agricultural sector, DARO solves the limitations of traditional testing, which is restricted to individuals or small groups, reducing accuracy and delaying detection.[6] With $1.12M raised in seed funding (including a $1.1M round led by Invest Nebraska), the company is scaling pilot programs, advancing its disease forecasting and genomics platform, and hiring talent, showing strong early momentum in a critical agtech niche.[1][6]
DARO was founded in 2023 by CEO Kristen Bernhard and COO Josh DeMers, both leveraging expertise in biotech and livestock health to address gaps in disease surveillance.[1][6] Bernhard, driven by frustrations with existing veterinary testing methods, transitioned from lab work to launching the LLC, supported by Nebraska's startup ecosystem including the LaunchLNK Grant Program, The Combine incubator, and mentors like Flywheel co-founder Rick Knudtson.[6] The idea emerged from developing patent-pending "whole-herd" molecular testing technology, initially piloted with pork producers, marking a pivotal shift toward population-wide pathogen monitoring to make outbreaks preventable.[6][7] Early traction came via these pilots and a seed round just four months prior, fueling expansion.[1][6]
(Note: A separate entity at wearedaro.com, previously Ajah, focuses on data systems for social impact organizations with founders Jesse and Mike, but lacks overlap with DARO's biotech profile and is not the queried company.[2][4][8])
DARO rides the agtech wave of precision livestock farming and biosecurity, amplified by post-pandemic emphasis on rapid disease detection amid rising global protein demand and outbreaks like African Swine Fever.[1][3] Timing is ideal with 2025 seed funding enabling scale as U.S. pork production faces biosecurity pressures, and molecular genomics advances lower costs for on-farm tech.[1][6] Market forces favoring DARO include labor shortages in vet diagnostics, regulatory pushes for food safety, and investor interest in resilient ag supply chains, positioning it to influence ecosystem-wide adoption of surveillance platforms beyond swine.[6] By enabling "outbreaks as a thing of the past," DARO strengthens U.S. agriculture's competitiveness against global rivals.[7]
DARO's trajectory points to rapid expansion of its genomics platform, with pilots converting to commercial deployments and talent hires accelerating R&D for multi-species surveillance.[1][6] Trends like AI-driven forecasting, climate-impacted disease vectors, and sustainable protein production will propel growth, potentially attracting Series A amid agtech's $10B+ investment surge. Its influence could evolve from Nebraska pioneer to national standard-setter, transforming livestock health from reactive to predictive—echoing its mission to protect herds and operations through earliest disease data.[6][7]
DARO has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $1.0M Seed in February 2025.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2025 | $1.0M Seed | Grit Road Partners, Invest Nebraska, M25 |