Holter, a New Zealand-based startup specializing in artificial intelligence-powered cattle collars, has secured $220 million in new capital to expand its technology globally. A global agritech company transforming livestock farming announced it has raised $220 million in Series E funding at a valuation of $2 billion. The deal was led by American entrepreneur Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund and followed a $100 million round led by Mary Meeker’s Bond Capital and Australia’s largest venture capital firm Blackbird Ventures.The company’s main product consists of solar-powered collars that are integrated with a mobile app, allowing ranchers to track the location of their animals, monitor their health and breeding cycles, and even move their herds remotely via vibration and audio signals. Holter is positioning its technology as a solution to the economic pressures of lower labor costs and early detection of disease, putting it at the forefront of the “precision agriculture” movement alongside leading companies such as Merck & Co.
Peter Thiel is a long-time investor in New Zealand-born American startup Halter.
Mr. Thiel is best known as a member of the so-called “PayPal Mafia” and the defense intelligence company Palantir Technologies. He is also said to be one of Miami’s famous “billionaire banker” residents. Mr Thiel became a New Zealander in 2011 and has reportedly been supporting Mr Holter since 2018. Incidentally, Mr. Thiel obtained New Zealand citizenship even though he stayed for only 12 days. The rapid acquisition of citizenship, bypassing the standard requirement of 1,350 days of residence, sparked widespread debate at the time.
Holter is based in New Zealand, Australia and the USA
Holter claims to serve over 2000 ranchers and farmers in New Zealand, Australia and the United States. One million solar-powered collars have now been sold. Since its introduction in the U.S. in 2024, U.S. ranchers using Holter have built 60,000 miles of virtual fences as part of their land management, and Holter has also helped.“We founded Holter because we believe technology will fundamentally change what it means to farm and that ranchers can leverage innovation to build a long-term future for their land,” New Zealand-born Holter founder and CEO Craig Piggott said in a release. “Our ranchers need tools that work, and the fact that they’re using Holter shows they have confidence in our technology. This increase allows us to get it to far more ranchers, and faster.””The deep tech company’s GPS-enabled collar uses audio cues and gentle vibrations to contain and herd cattle within virtual boundaries, allowing ranchers to move their herds from their smartphones without breaking the ground or stringing wire.“Agriculture is a multi-trillion dollar industry that feeds the world, yet it remains one of the least digitally digitized sectors on the planet,” said Amin Mirzadegan, partner at Founders Fund. “Holter is changing that by bringing software, sensors, and AI directly into livestock operations in a way that ranchers are actually using. Craig’s deep understanding of the ranchers he serves has enabled the company to build something that is not only useful, but essential to ranch operations.””Holter plans to use the new capital to expand its commercial and field operations across the US, New Zealand and Australia, while expanding into other international markets, including Ireland and the UK. later this year. The company already operates an initial ranch in Canada and is considering further expansion in North and South America this year.Investments will continue throughout product development, including animal health monitoring and pasture management, depending on how customers use the system in the field. We will continue to focus on supporting ranchers and farmers building partnerships with Holter.Holter plans to hire more than 200 people at its Auckland headquarters, with a focus on product, engineering and customer roles, in what is said to be its largest recruitment drive to date.
