Incubator Members
The vHive Incubator is the UK’s first companion animal and livestock focused Incubator to support start-ups with the challenges they face in this market. We are excited to let you know more about the companies taking part:
AITEM is a startup based in Turin, a spinoff from the Dumarey group, specializing in the development of AI solutions in the veterinary field. The AITEM team brings more than a decade of experience in AI development in complex environments. AITEM’s Vision is LAIKA: LAIKA is a veterinary AI co-pilot, based on patented technology, that assists veterinarians in their daily practice by reducing costs and increasing diagnostic accuracy. LAIKA is the vehicle that will enable AITEM to achieve its vision: TOWARDS VET PERFECTION.
AGA2tech LTD. was established from foundations in GAMA Healthcare LTD, the leading innovator and provider of infection control solutions to the NHS and several overseas markets. AGA2tech provides novel technologies replacing the need for antibiotics in animal husbandry. In 2019 it was estimated 4.95 million deaths were associated with bacterial AMR, including 1.27 million deaths directly attributable to bacterial AMR. Animal husbandry has become an important reservoir for antibiotic resistance. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics not only as antibacterial agents but as growth promotors has led to increased resistance. AGA2tech’s IP protected technology is simple to apply with holistic benefits to both the animal and the environment.
AGA2tech started with a simple hypothesis, that if the problem was resistance, then use antimicrobials that do not give rise to resistance. After extensive testing AGA2tech found a promising solution in precursor generated PAA/H2O2. Precise control of PAA concentration and pH system offer a wide range of tailored antimicrobial solutions without the use of antibiotics and without environmental contamination.
Astratus is developing the new standard in customizable, high-throughput rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) to tackle the rising threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Our mission is to accelerate personalised antimicrobial prescribing through the power of rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing to help reduce the global burden of antimicrobial resistance in humans and animals.
Smart lighting and monitoring technology for chicken barns. The poultry sector is grappling with a number of pain points including rising raw material and energy costs, reduced availability of skilled labour and pressure to raise welfare standards. Through addressing animal welfare through precision farming technologies, we are making farming more efficient, and therefore, more profitable.
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in dogs, with between 30-50% of animals developing it in their lifetime. We developed a cell-free DNA next generation sequencing-based liquid biopsy panel for screening, early diagnosis and monitoring of canine cancer. We are aiming at revolutionising how canine cancer patients are diagnosed and monitored.
Caravel Bio is developing vaccines for bacterial infections in livestock and companion animals. With our novel platform, our vaccines will be lower cost and have higher efficacy than current alternatives.
Dyneval’s patented platform technology, built by physicists, provides dynamic insights into the world of the nano- and micro-scale. Dyneval’s first product, the Dynescan semen analyser, offers unmatched precision, measuring sperm swimming behaviour (motility) across a wide concentration range from 1–550 million cells/mL. This makes Dynescan ideal for analysing diluted fresh semen and any concentration of straws used in artificial insemination. Unlike traditional methods, Dynescan’s results are unaffected by the level of dilution, and its reproducibility, less than 5% variability between user, sets a new gold standard for semen quality assessment. Whether for fresh collections, processing, or on-farm straw evaluation prior to insemination, Dynescan delivers reliable results every time.
FlockFinder builds technology and tools to help farmers manage their livestock. Their latest innovation is a AI-powered diagnostic tool thats helps farmers, and vets, diagnose and treat livestock disease. With early identification and treatment being a key element to reduce the impact of livestock disease, which costs the industry hundreds of millions of pounds in the UK alone.
FluoretiQ makes fast and accurate point of care tests for illnesses caused by bacteria, so that the first antibiotic prescription is the right prescription. They believe that the true solution to antimicrobial resistance is antibiotic stewardship, that means getting the right drug, for the right bug at the right time. However, effective stewardship is impossible to implement when the required testing currently takes 3-5 days.
FluoretiQ has developed Veri-5® and SCFI™ in response to this need. Veri-5® harnesses growth-free techniques and machine learning (ML) to diagnose infections in just 15 minutes, and SCFI™ is also powered by ML and can determine in just 30 minutes, which antibiotic is most likely to work.
Innovent Technology is a high-tech SME focused on developing innovative and ground-breaking new systems to understand the growth, behaviour and yield of pigs and beef cattle. The company has, for the last 20 years, led the field in blending optical sensor technologies with machine learning data science to create producer and industry relevant modelling and reporting. Our mission remains to deliver the best precision livestock technologies with the aim to improve customers’ efficiency and profitability, and to enhance the health and welfare of animals.
IntelliVet is a clinical decision support system providing small animal vets with patient-specific decision recommendations at the point of care. Individual patient information is combined with relevant literature and specialist opinion to give users rapid access to contextualised decision support. This support is given alongside patient-specific clinical rationale, facilitating vets to approach a wide variety of complex cases with a reasoned, readily available second opinion. IntelliVet has been shown to significantly improve both diagnostic and management decision making by small animal vets, helping to optimise appropriate further diagnostics and ongoing care.