Barnwell Bio
Barnwell Bio applies shotgun metagenomic sequencing to environmental samples from poultry barns, detecting pathogens weeks before clinical symptoms appear. The Brooklyn-based company sells subscription biosurveillance and on-demand investigation kits to U.S. poultry producers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Barnwell Bio does
Barnwell Bio is a precision animal health intelligence company founded in 2024 and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. The company applies shotgun metagenomic sequencing to environmental samples collected from poultry barns — primarily via a proprietary "boot sock" swabbing method — to detect pathogens, virulence genes, and antimicrobial resistance markers weeks before clinical symptoms appear. Results are delivered through a software dashboard that provides farm-specific pathogen risk scores, longitudinal microbiome fingerprints, and benchmarking against historical and contemporaneous samples.
The platform serves U.S. poultry producers across layers, broilers, breeders, and turkeys, with named commercial partners including Amick Farms, Vital Farms, and West Liberty Foods, plus academic collaborators at Mississippi State University and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The company generates revenue through annual enterprise subscriptions for ongoing biosurveillance and pay-as-you-go on-demand targeted investigation kits with a 7-day turnaround. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales targeting the U.S. Midwest and Southeast poultry belt, supplemented by conference presence (IPPE, Poultry Tech Summit) and content marketing.
The founding team (CEO Michael Rhys, COO Casey McGinley, CSO Jake Byrnes) all previously built COVID-19 wastewater surveillance infrastructure at Biobot Analytics, and the company has raised a $6M seed round led by Twelve Below (January 2026) plus a ~$150,000 FFAR grant to extend the platform to H5N1 avian influenza detection. Current scale is small (1–10 employees) with revenue not publicly disclosed.
Barnwell Bio firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Barnwell Bio
- Legal name
- Barnwell Bio, Inc.
- Website
- https://barnwellbio.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Barnwell Bio applies shotgun metagenomic sequencing to environmental samples from poultry barns, detecting pathogens weeks before clinical symptoms appear. The Brooklyn-based company sells subscription biosurveillance and on-demand investigation kits to U.S. poultry producers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Barnwell Bio industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Precision Livestock Biosurveillance
- SIC
- Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Veterinary Microbiology & Infectious Disease Testing (Culture/PCR/Serology) (HLAMADAC)
Keywords
Where Barnwell Bio is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Barnwell Bio business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription-based Biosurveillance Service: Barnwell Bio provides ongoing biosurveillance monitoring through regular sample collection and analysis, delivered via dashboard subscription. Producers receive continuous pathogen monitoring, early warning alerts, and trend analysis for their poultry operations.
- On-Demand Targeted Investigation Kits: The company offers on-demand sampling kits that can be deployed when producers or veterinarians need deeper insight into specific flock health issues. Results delivered within 7 days of submission.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise subscription for ongoing biosurveillance monitoring |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | On-demand targeted investigation kit |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Barnwell Bio product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Barnwell Bio provides a continuous metagenomic sequencing-based biosurveillance platform that analyzes environmental samples (collected via boot socks) from poultry barns to detect pathogens, antimicrobial resistance genes, and shifts in the barn microbiome weeks before clinical symptoms appear. Insights are delivered to poultry producers, veterinarians, and feed/treatment companies through a proprietary software dashboard with pathogen risk scores, alerts, and longitudinal tracking. On-demand targeted investigation kits are available for specific flock health investigations with seven-day turnaround.
Product overview
Barnwell Bio offers a comprehensive biosurveillance platform for poultry health monitoring. The core offering combines environmental sampling via boot sock collection with shotgun metagenomic sequencing to detect pathogens weeks before clinical symptoms appear. Users access insights through a proprietary dashboard delivering actionable pathogen risk data, alerts, and longitudinal microbiome tracking. The platform serves Layers, Broilers, Breeders, and Turkeys, with on-demand targeted investigation kits available for specific flock health questions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Barnwell Bio Biosurveillance Platform
Quantifiable outcome
- Pathogen detection up to 3 weeks before clinical symptoms appear (demonstrated with crop mycosis detection)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Barnwell Bio
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Barnwell Bio technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature6 records
Barnwell Bio partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Mississippi State UniversitycoreAcademic research partner demonstrating Barnwell Bio's biosurveillance platform. Collaborating on real-world validation of the technology in commercial poultry operations.
- West Liberty FoodscoreMeat and poultry processor partner for platform demonstration and commercial validation of biosurveillance technology.
- Vital FarmscoreEgg producer partner exploring pathogen trends and effectiveness of management strategies using Barnwell Bio's monitoring platform.
- Amick FarmscoreBreeder farm partner working with Barnwell Bio on Focal Ulcerative Dermatitis Syndrome (FUDS) monitoring, litter amendment testing, and intervention optimization. Staff veterinarian Dr. Jason Sousa collaborates on product use cases.
- AgLaunch365 AcceleratorcoreBarnwell Bio participated in the AgLaunch365 two-year accelerator program connecting startups with farmers and industry experts. The program provides farm trial opportunities and farmer network access. Farmers participating in trials can earn equity stakes in companies.
- University of Wisconsin - Madison (Dr. Steven Ricke)coreResearch collaboration established in early 2024 with poultry health expert Dr. Steven Ricke. Conducting foundational studies on litter microbiome variation by barn location and comparing different environmental sample types. UW researchers have presented findings at industry conferences.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Barnwell Bio competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BioChek: BioChek is a veterinary diagnostics company specializing in PCR-based test kits and software for poultry and swine disease detection. It directly competes with Barnwell Bio in pathogen diagnostics for poultry producers using molecular methods.
- Clear Labs: Clear Labs applies next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics to food and ingredient safety testing, including pathogen detection. Its NGS-based approach to identifying pathogens in complex samples is the closest technical analogue to Barnwell's metagenomic platform.
Broad incumbents
- IDEXX Laboratories: IDEXX is the dominant veterinary diagnostics company for companion and production animals, offering PCR, ELISA, and reference lab services. It serves many of the same poultry veterinarians and integrated producers Barnwell targets, but through traditional single-pathogen assays rather than environmental metagenomics.
- Zoetis: Zoetis is the largest global animal health company, providing diagnostics, vaccines, and pharmaceuticals across livestock species. Its diagnostics arm overlaps with Barnwell Bio's poultry health monitoring use cases, though delivered through conventional test kits and reference labs.
- Neogen Corporation: Neogen provides genomics-based testing and animal safety diagnostics, including poultry pathogen detection. Its molecular diagnostics footprint and food animal customer base make it a relevant incumbent analogue, though it sells kits rather than a recurring surveillance platform.
- Elanco Animal Health: Elanco is a major animal health company offering pharmaceuticals and diagnostics for production animals including poultry. It competes indirectly through integrated health solutions sold to the same enterprise poultry customers.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher supplies the sequencing instruments, reagents, and bioinformatics tools (e.g., Ion Torrent, Applied Biosystems) underpinning metagenomic workflows. While not a direct competitor, its enabling technology and applied markets overlap with Barnwell's platform stack.
- Bio-Rad Laboratories: Bio-Rad is a life science and clinical diagnostics company with a meaningful presence in veterinary and food safety testing. Its molecular diagnostic kits and lab services target some of the same production-animal use cases as Barnwell Bio.
- Phibro Animal Health: Phibro develops and markets vaccines, antibiotics, and nutritional specialty products for poultry and livestock. Its deep relationships with poultry integrators overlap with Barnwell's customer base, particularly through feed and treatment company channels.
Others
- Kemin Industries: Kemin provides animal nutrition and health ingredients for poultry and livestock producers. It is identified by Barnwell Bio as a target customer segment (Feed & Treatment Companies) and represents a partner/distribution channel for validating feed additive efficacy using microbiome data.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Barnwell Bio social profiles
Digital presenceBarnwell Bio financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Barnwell Bio leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Barnwell Bio funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Barnwell Bio M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Barnwell Bio
What does Barnwell Bio do?
Barnwell Bio provides a continuous metagenomic sequencing-based biosurveillance platform that analyzes environmental samples (collected via boot socks) from poultry barns to detect pathogens, antimicrobial resistance genes, and shifts in the barn microbiome weeks before clinical symptoms appear. Insights are delivered to poultry producers, veterinarians, and feed/treatment companies through a proprietary software dashboard with pathogen risk scores, alerts, and longitudinal tracking. On-demand targeted investigation kits are available for specific flock health investigations with seven-day turnaround.
Is Barnwell Bio a public or private company?
Barnwell Bio is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Barnwell Bio founded?
Barnwell Bio was founded in 2024. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Barnwell Bio based?
Barnwell Bio is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does Barnwell Bio make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Subscription-based Biosurveillance Service is the primary driver. The others are on-Demand Targeted Investigation Kits.
Who are Barnwell Bio's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BioChek and Clear Labs. Broad incumbents are IDEXX Laboratories, Zoetis, Neogen Corporation, Elanco Animal Health, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Bio-Rad Laboratories and Phibro Animal Health. Kemin Industries is listed as an others.
Does Barnwell Bio have an API?
No public API is recorded for Barnwell Bio.
What industry is Barnwell Bio in?
Barnwell Bio's product category is Precision Livestock Biosurveillance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAMADAC, Veterinary Microbiology & Infectious Disease Testing (Culture/PCR/Serology). Its SIC code is 8071.