Halter has raised $220 million as it milks its cow-focused AI technology.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
BY CHLOE AIELLO<\/p>\n\n\n\n A New Zealand-based agtech unicorn has raised $220 million to expand its smart collar and \u201cCowgorithm\u201d technology into new and existing markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Halter is now valued at $2 billion following the Series E, which was led by Peter Thiel\u2019s Founders Fund with participation from Blackbird, DCVC, Bond, Bessemer, and several others, according to the Wednesday announcement<\/a>. Halter plans to use the funding to expand its existing footprint in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, as well as to grow into new markets such as Ireland, the U.K., and parts of North and South America. The round is one of the biggest to-date in the industry, and comes amid growing adoption of the technology among U.S. ranchers. According to Halter, U.S. ranchers have erected some 60,000 miles of virtual fencing since the company\u2019s launch in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Halter\u2019s technology works through a system of solar-powered collars and in-pasture towers that collect data\u2014some 6,000 data points per collar per minute\u2014from grazing cattle and feed it into a cloud-based platform and app for farmers. The collars are ergonomically designed to be comfortable for the cattle wearing them, and leverage AI<\/a> to play audio cues or vibrate when it is time to move to a different grazing location or if they step outside of a predetermined zone. The collars can also deliver an electric pulse<\/a> if an animal does not respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAgriculture is a multitrillion-dollar industry that feeds the world, yet remains one of the least digitized sectors on earth,\u201d Founders Fund partner Amin Mirzadegan said in a statement. \u201cHalter is changing that by bringing software, sensors, and AI directly into livestock operations in a way that ranchers actually adopt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Halter\u2019s app also creates a digital twin of a ranch, which essentially means a digital replica that leverages real-time data to accurately reflect conditions. Farmers can consult the app to check on their herd, or fence, and move cattle with just a few clicks. Halter also has a proprietary algorithm that it calls a \u201cCowgorithm\u201d trained on seven billion hours of animal behavior. Altogether, this technology is meant to make ranchers\u2019 lives easier when herding cattle, help them save money on building physical fencing, and provide insights about pasture management to improve soil health and pasture productivity<\/a>. Halter says some 2,000 farmers and ranchers currently use its tech worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe started Halter because we believed technology could fundamentally change what it means to run a ranch, and enable ranchers to use innovation to build long-term futures on their land,\u201d Halter CEO and founder Craig Piggott said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ag-tech is a sector that is ripe for innovation from AI, and Halter isn\u2019t alone in seeing opportunity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-14.png\")