Barnwell Bio Raises $6 Million to Scale Metagenomic Biosurveillance System

NEW YORK – Barnwell Bio, a precision animal health intelligence company, announced it has raised $6 million in seed funding to scale its metagenomic biosurveillance system — a platform that provides poultry producers and stakeholders across the poultry supply chain with an early warning window against emerging disease threats, the company said. 

The round was led by Twelve Below, with participation from Max Ventures, Dorm Room Fund, Banter Capital, Planeteer Capital, AgVentures Alliance, Daybreak Ventures, Alumni Ventures and AgLaunch Farmers, Barnwell Bio said.

The capital will be used to scale Barnwell's footprint across the U.S. poultry belt, focusing on the Midwest and Southeast. Beyond geographic expansion, the company is investing in its proprietary metagenomic insights engine. Barnwell's platform aims to capture the entire microbial ecosystem of a barn, translating hundreds of thousands of data points into a "microbiome fingerprint" unique to each facility, the company said. Building on its existing foundation, Barnwell said it is utilizing this capital to scale its technical capabilities.

"We saw in human health that data is the missing link between guessing and knowing," said Michael Rhys, co-founder and CEO of Barnwell Bio. "In the poultry industry, veterinarians often must rely on limited diagnostics and their own intuition, lacking full visibility into the barn's unique, complex microbial ecosystem. We are thrilled to have the backing of investors who understand that barn-level intelligence makes producers more profitable and gives them the confidence to manage flocks sustainably."

"We're guessing, and that's the frustrating part," added Dr. Liz Beilke, DVM, MPH of West Liberty Foods. "For vets managing dozens of barns, getting to the bottom of a disease issue can be a process of trial and error. Barnwell's microbiome intelligence can provide more clarity to intervene with precision."