TARGAN
TARGAN is an Animal AgTech company developing AI-powered automated systems for poultry production, including WingScan for chick feather sexing and a Vaccine Delivery System for ocular vaccination, serving large commercial poultry integrators and hatcheries globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersMorrisville, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What TARGAN does
TARGAN is a private Animal AgTech company founded in 2015 (originally as Applied LifeSciences & Systems) and headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. The company develops AI- and machine-learning-powered automated systems for animal protein production, with its commercial focus on the poultry industry. Its core product, WingScan, is an automated feather-sexing system that uses high-speed imaging, computer vision, and proprietary machine-learning models to identify and sort day-old chicks by gender at up to 160,000 chicks per hour with up to 98% accuracy, replacing scarce manual sexing labor. A complementary Vaccine Delivery System (VDS) uses the same imaging and feature-recognition stack to deliver individualized ocular vaccines at 100,000 birds per hour per machine.
TARGAN sells to large commercial poultry integrators and hatcheries through an enterprise field-sales motion supplemented by channel partners (Viscon Hatchery Automation in Europe, VETIPLUS in Colombia) for international markets. The business model is equipment-as-a-service with quote-based, multi-year contracts; revenue is generated primarily from hardware deployment bundled with ongoing service and maintenance. The company is venture-backed (over $150M raised cumulatively across Series A through a 2025 growth financing) with Merck Animal Health as a long-term investor since 2017 and pending acquirer (definitive agreement signed June 2026, expected Q3 2026 close).
The company operates from a 100,000-square-foot facility housing R&D, manufacturing, sales, and leadership, with regional hubs in Brest, France (EMEA/Asia/Oceania) and a presence in Charlottetown, Canada (aquaculture incubator). It serves customers across the US, Canada, Spain, Poland, Italy, Peru, Colombia, and Brazil, with over 40 WingScan systems deployed, 1B+ birds processed, and over 130 employees. Roadmap expansion includes aquaculture and swine automation leveraging the company's existing vision, robotics, and microfluidics capabilities.
TARGAN firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- TARGAN
- Legal name
- TARGAN Inc.
- Website
- https://www.targan.com/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- TARGAN is an Animal AgTech company developing AI-powered automated systems for poultry production, including WingScan for chick feather sexing and a Vaccine Delivery System for ocular vaccination, serving large commercial poultry integrators and hatcheries globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
TARGAN industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Poultry Hatchery Automation Equipment
- NAICS
- Poultry Hatcheries (112340), Poultry and Egg Production (1123)
- SIC
- Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Vaccine Delivery Devices & Administration (Injectors, Oral Baits, In-Ovo) (HLAMAKAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Hatcheries & Chick Production (Day-Old Chicks, Pullets) (AFAEADAD), Poultry & Avian Production Veterinary Services (HLAMABAC)
Keywords
Where TARGAN is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Morrisville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
TARGAN business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Equipment Sales and Service: Equipment-as-a-service model providing automated poultry systems (WingScan and Vaccine Delivery System) to hatcheries. Revenue generated from equipment deployment, ongoing service support, and maintenance contracts. Commercial deployments with major poultry integrators across US, Europe, Canada, and Latin America.
- Technology Licensing: Licensing of proprietary AI and automation technologies to poultry industry integrators and producers. Equipment deployed with service support as bundled offering.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Modular WingScan system with configurable throughput from 500k to 4M birds weekly |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
TARGAN product offering
Product offeringCore offering
TARGAN designs, manufactures, and sells AI- and robotics-driven automated systems for commercial poultry hatcheries. Its flagship product, WingScan, uses machine learning and high-speed imaging to identify and sort day-old chicks by gender at up to 98% accuracy and 160,000 chicks per hour. Its Vaccine Delivery System delivers individualized ocular vaccines at 100,000 birds per hour per machine, and the company is developing future aquaculture and swine automation solutions.
Product overview
TARGAN offers a portfolio of automated systems for animal protein production, primarily focused on poultry. The core offerings include WingScan, an AI-powered automated feather sexing system that identifies and sorts day-old chicks by gender at high throughput (up to 160,000 chicks/hour with 98% accuracy), and a Vaccine Delivery System that provides precision individual vaccination at 100,000 birds/hour. Both products integrate high-speed imaging, computer vision, and AI/machine learning to automate labor-intensive hatchery processes. TARGAN is also developing future technologies for swine and aquaculture industries, expanding its addressable market beyond poultry.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- WingScan™: Automated feather sexing system using AI and machine learning to identify and sort chicks by gender at hatcheries.
Products and services
- WingScan Automated feather sexing system that uses AI, machine learning, and high-speed imaging to identify and sort day-old chicks by gender at the hatchery. Achieves up to 98% sexing accuracy, processing up to 160,000 chicks per hour depending on configuration, with modular scaling from 500k to 4M birds weekly. Sells to commercial poultry integrators and broiler hatchery operators.
- Vaccine Delivery System (VDS) Automated precision vaccination system using high-speed imaging and feature recognition to deliver individualized ocular vaccines to day-old chicks at up to 100,000 birds per hour per machine, targeting 95%+ accuracy and outperforming traditional spray methods by 2-3x. Sells to commercial poultry hatcheries seeking individualized early-onset immunity.
Quantifiable outcome
- Revenue more than doubled from 2024 to 2025
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use TARGAN
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
TARGAN technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature4 records
TARGAN partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.
- VETIPLUSsupportingDistribution partnership to provide advanced automated solutions including WingScan technology to Colombia's poultry industry. Collaboration addresses rising protein demand, labor shortages, and animal welfare pressures in Colombian market.
- Wayne-Sanderson FarmscoreExpanded partnership more than doubled number of TARGAN systems in use at Wayne-Sanderson Farms locations, demonstrating technology value and operational success.
- Viscon Hatchery AutomationcoreDistribution and service partnership for WingScan system across selected European markets. Partnership leverages Viscon's global hatchery automation expertise and service network including offices in Netherlands, USA (Charlotte, NC), and Brazil.
- Emergence (Atlantic Canada Bioscience Incubator)supportingTARGAN joined Atlantic Canada's bioscience business incubator focused on aquaculture. Partnership provides access to collaborative ecosystem including NRC IRAP, ACOA, Innovation PEI, UPEI, CATC, and PEI BioAlliance for developing aquaculture products.
- Wayne-Sanderson FarmscoreMulti-year agreement for integration of TARGAN poultry systems in broiler hatcheries across the US. First commercial collaboration, expanded in February 2024 to more than double devices in use.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
TARGAN competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Embrex (Zoetis): Zoetis-owned in-ovo vaccination technology business that pioneered automated egg injection for poultry. Directly competes with TARGAN's Vaccine Delivery System in the poultry vaccine delivery device category.
- HatchTech Incubation Technology: Dutch provider of hatchery incubation and early chick handling equipment. Directly competes with TARGAN's WingScan by serving the same broiler hatchery segment with automation that includes chick sexing, counting, and vaccination.
- Viscon Hatchery Automation: Dutch hatchery automation specialist that serves as TARGAN's European channel partner but also offers its own competing hatchery equipment portfolio, including egg transfer, in-ovo injection, and chick handling systems sold to the same integrators.
- Pas Reform: Established Dutch hatchery equipment manufacturer offering integrated hatchery solutions including incubation, ventilation, and chick processing. Competes directly with TARGAN in supplying automation to commercial broiler hatcheries globally.
- Jamesway Incubator Company: Canadian manufacturer of single-stage and multi-stage hatchery incubators serving commercial poultry operations worldwide. Competes with TARGAN's hatchery automation stack at the integrator level across North America, EMEA, and Asia.
- Chick Master Incubator Company: US-based hatchery equipment manufacturer providing incubation and chick processing systems to broiler and layer producers. Direct competitor to TARGAN's conveyor-based hatchery automation.
Broad incumbents
- Zoetis: Largest global animal health company offering vaccines, diagnostics, and genetics across species. Overlaps with TARGAN's poultry health value proposition as a broad incumbent now entering hatchery automation via Embrex.
- Merck Animal Health: Global animal health division of Merck & Co. and TARGAN's pending acquirer (announced June 2026). Provides the vaccines and animal health portfolio that TARGAN's delivery systems complement.
- Ceva Animal Health: Global animal health company offering vaccines and pharmaceuticals for poultry, swine, and companion animals. Broad incumbent in poultry health where TARGAN's vaccine delivery and chick sexing systems compete for hatchery capex budgets.
- Elanco Animal Health: Major global animal health company with poultry vaccine and nutritional health products. Broad incumbent that could pair its own portfolio with competing hatchery automation solutions to challenge TARGAN.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
TARGAN social profiles
Digital presenceTARGAN financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
TARGAN leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
TARGAN funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
TARGAN 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 TARGAN
What does TARGAN do?
TARGAN designs, manufactures, and sells AI- and robotics-driven automated systems for commercial poultry hatcheries. Its flagship product, WingScan, uses machine learning and high-speed imaging to identify and sort day-old chicks by gender at up to 98% accuracy and 160,000 chicks per hour. Its Vaccine Delivery System delivers individualized ocular vaccines at 100,000 birds per hour per machine, and the company is developing future aquaculture and swine automation solutions.
Is TARGAN a public or private company?
TARGAN is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was TARGAN founded?
TARGAN was founded in 2011. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is TARGAN based?
TARGAN is headquartered in Morrisville, United States, in the North America region.
How does TARGAN make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Equipment Sales and Service is the primary driver. The others are technology Licensing.
Who are TARGAN's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Embrex (Zoetis), HatchTech Incubation Technology, Viscon Hatchery Automation, Pas Reform, Jamesway Incubator Company and Chick Master Incubator Company. Broad incumbents are Zoetis, Merck Animal Health, Ceva Animal Health and Elanco Animal Health.
Does TARGAN have an API?
No public API is recorded for TARGAN.
What industry is TARGAN in?
TARGAN's product category is Poultry Hatchery Automation Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAMAKAK, Vaccine Delivery Devices & Administration (Injectors, Oral Baits, In-Ovo), with a secondary code of AFAEADAD, Hatcheries & Chick Production (Day-Old Chicks, Pullets). Its NAICS code is 112340 and its SIC code is 3559.