Latest news with #CraigPiggott
NZ Herald
26-06-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Craig Piggott on raising US$100m
Craig Piggott gives advice to entrepreneurs on raising US$100m from Silicon Valley venture capital firms that have backed Airbnb, Meta & Stripe. Video / NZ Herald
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Halter raises fresh funds at $1bn valuation
Halter, a New Zealand-based agtech company, has raised NZ$165m ($97.9m) in a Series D funding round, elevating its valuation to NZ$1.65bn ($1bn). The funding was spearheaded by BOND, an investment firm specialising in technology, with additional contributions from NewView Capital and ongoing support from local investors such as Blackbird and Icehouse Ventures, alongside backing from Bessemer Venture Partners, DCVC, and Promus Ventures. Founded in 2016, Halter has developed a virtual fencing and animal management system designed to enhance productivity for farmers. Central to this system is a solar-powered smart collar for cattle, complemented by connectivity towers and a mobile application that allows farmers to manage their livestock and pasture remotely. The collars utilise sound and vibration cues to guide the cattle, enabling farmers to virtually fence, relocate, and monitor their herds continuously. The company currently serves thousands of farmers across New Zealand, Australia, and the US, with new clients regularly adopting the system. Headquartered in Auckland, the company employs more than 200 staff across its operational regions. Halter CEO and founder Craig Piggott said: 'Halter was built with our early farmers – we wouldn't be here without them. We're deeply grateful for their trust. This capital will help unlock productivity gains for even more farmers. 'Halter farmers are more profitable and get better outcomes for the environment and their animals. Farmers use Halter to grow and harvest more grass, reduce workload, increase herd size, improve animal health and welfare, and unlock environmental benefits.' Dae-gwon Chae, General Partner at BOND, highlighted the significance of the cattle industry, noting that products derived from cattle generate more than $1trn annually. Chae said: 'Farmers feed billions of people but are constrained by traditional bottlenecks of the offline economy – labour, time, and limited automation. 'Halter's vision is ambitious and impactful, to build the digital operating system for farms and ranches globally, leveraging the cutting-edge of physically-enabled technology.' "Halter raises fresh funds at $1bn valuation" was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Scoop
24-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Generate Invests In Halter - New Zealand's Fastest Growing Technology Company
Generate is pleased to announce that it has invested $10 million into Halter - a rapidly growing New Zealand-founded and headquartered company. Generate bought secondary shares and joined a $165m capital raise led by US venture capital firm, Bond. The team at Bond have notably been investors in industry pioneers including AirBnB, DocuSign, Facebook, Stripe, and Uber. Founded in 2016, Halter has grown to become the leading operating system to run a dairy or beef farm. Halter's system includes a solar-powered smart collar for each cow and an app that lets farmers manage their cattle and pasture from their phone. The collar's sound and vibration cues enable farmers to virtually fence, move, and monitor their cattle 24/7. Halter launched their commercial farm in New Zealand in 2021. Since then, they have scaled to >1,000 farms across New Zealand, Australia, and the USA. In 2024, they were named New Zealand's fastest growing company by the Deloitte Fast 50 Index. Generate's investment in Halter, via its Balanced, Growth and Focused Growth funds, follows its earlier strategic investments in venture capital firms Movac and Icehouse Ventures to help accelerate more New Zealand tech companies. Generate's Chief Investment Officer Sam Goldwater said, 'We're excited our members have the opportunity to join in on Halter's remarkable growth story. It is a company that can generate great returns for our investors while enabling New Zealand's largest export industry to simultaneously create more value and deliver environmental benefits.' Advertisement - scroll to continue reading As Halter CEO and Founder Craig Piggott noted, 'Farmers are the backbone of rural communities. They feed society and play a key role in building sustainable food systems. Halter farmers are pioneering a more productive and sustainable way to farm.' Generate's investment team has been tracking Halter over many years largely thanks to their investment in Icehouse Ventures Growth Fund II, a substantial investor in Halter. The decision to invest further reflects the significant commercial and technical milestones achieved by Halter over the last few years. 'Halter's traction with cattle ranchers in the US has been particularly impressive. They have secured ranchers from Oregon to Louisiana and are proving their system can provide transformative impact.' Their commercial traction - and foundations for significantly more growth - generated notable interest from investors around the globe. The capital raise attracted offers from multiple investors and even resulted in several flying to New Zealand to pitch their offer. That Generate secured an allocation reflects the success of its long-term, proactive, and strategic investment into New Zealand tech companies. Halter's expansion throughout New Zealand has been particularly impressive - now with customers in every region and up to 30% market share in some farming regions. Coupled with their traction with cattle ranchers in the US they are proving their system can provide transformative impact. 'We are delighted to have more than 135,000 of Generate's investors aligned to our mission to help farmers to thrive — it's fantastic to have New Zealanders backing Halter's growth capital.', Craig Piggott commented. About Generate: Generate is an award-winning New Zealand-owned KiwiSaver and Managed Fund provider committed to helping New Zealanders plan for a secure and fulfilling retirement. With a team of expert advisers and track record of strong long-term performance, Generate aims to educate and empower Kiwis to make informed decisions to maximise their financial future. About Halter: Founded in 2016, Halter is the leading operating system to run a dairy or beef farm. Thousands of farmers in New Zealand, Australia and the US use Halter to run their farm, with new customers going live daily. Halter is headquartered in Auckland and employs over 200 people across New Zealand, Australia, and the US. About Icehouse Ventures: Icehouse Ventures' mission is to be transformative investors in transformative Kiwi technology companies. Over the last 20 years, Icehouse Ventures has invested >$500m into >350 New Zealand startups. They were among the first investors in Halter, Mint Innovation, Dawn Aerospace, Tradify, OpenStar, Hnry, Tracksuit, and Crimson Education.
National Business Review
23-06-2025
- Business
- National Business Review
Kiwi agritech Halter valued at $1.65b following $165m cap raise
The founder of agritech company Halter says he 'can't imagine doing anything else' after the company closed a $165 million Series D funding round, which has valued the company at $1.65 billion. Halter was founded by chief executive Craig Piggott in 2016 and sells high-tech collars to manage
CNA
23-06-2025
- Business
- CNA
Cow tech startup becomes New Zealand's latest unicorn in $100 million fundraise
Agtech startup Halter has raised $100 million at a $1 billion valuation, making it one of New Zealand's rare unicorns as it ramps up U.S. expansion of its cattle management platform for dairy farmers. The Series D funding was led by tech investment firm Bond and was joined by venture capital firm NewView along with existing backers Bessemer Venture Partners, DCVC, Blackbird, Icehouse Ventures and Promus Ventures, Halter said on Monday. The dairy sector has emerged as a bright spot this year in an otherwise dour funding environment for agriculture tech startups as farmers rely more on automation to improve productivity. Auckland-based Halter is tapping into that demand with its system of smart collars, connectivity towers and a mobile app that lets ranchers virtually fence, move and monitor their cattle using sound and vibration cues - promising better grazing efficiency and lower environmental impact. Halter said it plans to use the new funds to expand in the U.S., where the company has been working with about 150 ranchers in 18 states. "Over half of US ranchers and farmers are over 55, and rural labor shortages are severe," CEO and founder Craig Piggott said. "Halter enables smaller teams to manage herds more efficiently, without constant physical presence." The U.S. farm industry has faced staffing crunches in recent months due to mass deportations ordered by the Trump administration, with industry groups warning about the impact on an industry that has long depended on immigrants.
