SpayVac for Wildlife

What SpayVac for Wildlife does

SpayVac for Wildlife, Inc. is a Madison, Wisconsin-based private biotechnology company developing single-dose, long-lasting immunocontraceptive vaccines for animal population control. The company's core technology is a proprietary liposome-based delivery platform that encapsulates antigens — primarily porcine Zona Pellucida (pZP) or Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) — to trigger a sustained immune response rendering animals infertile for multiple years without booster shots. The platform has demonstrated 80–100% efficacy in multiple completed trials across at least six species, including feral horses, fallow, white-tailed, black-tailed, and red deer, grey seals, and elephants.

SpayVac operates across four target segments: wildlife management (its primary focus, serving agencies such as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Bavarian National Park, and the Thailand Department of National Parks), production animals (boar taint prevention in swine, bison fertility control), aquaculture (licensed to BioVaxys Technology Corp. for commercial fish farming applications), and companion animals (an early-stage pipeline opportunity). Its commercial vaccine, SpayVac-pZP for equids and cervids, is currently undergoing EPA registration and is available only for research use under an Experimental Use Permit.

The business model combines direct sales of research-use vaccines to government wildlife agencies and research institutions with a licensing royalty stream from BioVaxys for aquaculture applications. The company is structured for sales-led B2B engagement with enterprise and government buyers, supported by conference presence (most recently as a Platinum-Level Sponsor of the 10th International Conference on Wildlife Fertility Control in Barcelona, April 2026) and PR distribution. SpayVac has raised a $1 million seed round led by Central Texas Angel Network in July 2025 and operates with 1–10 employees, including CEO Tom D'Orazio, COO Tina Lloren, and cofounders Dr. Ursula Bechert (VP R&D) and Mark A. Fraker (VP Operations).

Name

SpayVac for Wildlife

Legal name

SpayVac for Wildlife, Inc.

Website

https://spayvac.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SpayVac for Wildlife is a Madison, Wisconsin-based biotech company developing single-dose, multi-year immunocontraceptive vaccines using a proprietary liposome-based platform, serving government wildlife management agencies, livestock operators, and aquaculture partners across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veterinary Biologics

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife & Zoo/Exotic Animal Vaccines (HLAMAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Livestock Vaccines (Cattle, Swine, Sheep & Goats) (HLAMAKAB), Vaccine Technology Platforms (Live, Inactivated, Subunit, Vector, mRNA/DNA) (HLAMAKAH), Vaccine R&D, Clinical/Field Trials & Regulatory Affairs (HLAMAKAM), Vaccine Programs & Tendering (Government/NGO, Eradication Campaigns) (HLAMAKAO)

Keywords

• Wildlife fertility control
• Immunocontraceptive vaccines
• Animal population management
• Liposome vaccine platform
• Production animal vaccines

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Vaccine Product Sales: Revenue generated from sale of SpayVac immunocontraceptive vaccines to wildlife management agencies, production animal operators, and aquaculture facilities. Currently in regulatory approval process for equids and cervids under EPA registration.
2. Licensing Royalties: Licensing agreement with BioVaxys Technology Corp. (BVAXF) for commercial rights in aquaculture applications, generating potential royalty streams from licensed technology deployments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SpayVac develops and manufactures single-dose, long-lasting immunocontraceptive vaccines that use a proprietary liposome-based platform to deliver pZP or GnRH antigens, triggering multi-year infertility in target animals. Its products target wildlife (feral horses, deer, seals, elephants), production animals (swine, bison), aquaculture (salmon, trout), and companion animals, with SpayVac-pZP for equids and cervids currently in the U.S. EPA registration process.

Product overview

SpayVac for Wildlife is a biotech company developing single-dose, long-lasting contraceptive vaccines for animal population control. The company leverages a proprietary liposome-based platform technology that encapsulates antigens (primarily pZP and GnRH) to trigger long-lasting immune responses rendering animals infertile for multiple years. The product portfolio includes SpayVac-pZP and SpayVac-GnRH formulations as core vaccine products, with applications spanning wildlife (horses, deer, seals, elephants), production animals (swine, bison), and aquaculture (salmon, trout). SpayVac-pZP for equids and cervids is undergoing EPA regulatory approval, while other formulations are in various trial stages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SpayVac-pZP Single-dose, long-lasting immunocontraceptive vaccine using porcine Zona Pellucida (pZP) antigen delivered via proprietary liposome-based platform. Triggers an immune response that renders animals infertile for multiple years. Currently approved for research use; regulatory approval process underway for equids and cervids.
• SpayVac-GnRH Single-dose contraceptive vaccine using Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) antigen for fertility control in production animals and other species where pZP is not the preferred antigen. Blocks testicular function via immune response.
• Boar Taint Prevention Vaccine (GnRH-based) Single-dose GnRH-based vaccine in ongoing trials to prevent boar taint in swine by blocking testicular function, offering an alternative to surgical castration or multi-dose vaccines for pork producers.
• Bison Fertility Control Vaccine Trial-stage vaccine candidate testing SpayVac-pZP and SpayVac-GnRH formulations for bison fertility management as a humane alternative to surgical ovariectomy in bison herds.
• Aquaculture Fertility Control Vaccine Vaccine candidate for commercial aquaculture applications to prevent sexual maturation in farmed fish and prevent farmed fish escapees from breeding with wild populations. Initial trials demonstrated antibody titer response in salmon and trout.
• SpayVac for Horses Immunocontraceptive vaccine for feral and domestic horses; three completed trials have demonstrated 80–100% efficacy for multiple years, with a U.S. BLM-funded 5-year captive mare study ongoing.
• SpayVac for Deer Immunocontraceptive vaccine proven effective across multiple deer species including fallow deer, white-tailed deer, black-tailed deer, and red deer, with 0–11% pregnancy rates post-vaccination compared to 78–97% in controls.
• SpayVac for Seals Single-dose vaccine for grey seals demonstrating an 80–85% decrease in fertility for more than 10 years post-vaccination in wild populations of over 100 seals.
• SpayVac for Elephants pZP contraceptive vaccine for African and Asian elephants. African elephant trial showed elevated antibody titers maintained for over 7 years post-vaccination, with an ongoing trial in Thailand in collaboration with Chiang Mai University.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80-100% reduction in fertility for multiple years with single dose in grey seals, fallow deer, white-tailed deer, black-tailed deer, red deer, and horses
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chiang Mai University and Thailand Department of National ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 January 2026Collaborative study testing contraceptive efficacy of SpayVac in captive and free-ranging Asian elephants. Animals will be monitored for multiple years to assess contraceptive efficacy. Part of efforts to promote sustainable coexistence between humans and elephants.
• BioVaxys Technology Corp. (BVAXF)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 14 October 2025Licensing agreement for SpayVac technology. BioVaxys and SpayVac announced positive efficacy data from deer study in Germany and initiated regulatory approval process. License expanded in April 2025 to include commercial rights in aquaculture.
• World Leader in AquacultureminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 April 2024Partnered with a world leader in aquaculture to field test single-injection, long-lasting immunocontraceptive vaccines in farmed rainbow trout. Follows successful proof-of-concept trials in farm-raised salmon and trout.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• USDA APHIS Wildlife Services (GonaCon program): Developer of GonaCon, a competing GnRH-based immunocontraceptive vaccine used for deer, wild horses, and other wildlife population control. Directly comparable because it operates in the same wildlife immunocontraception category and serves the same U.S. federal wildlife management customers (e.g., BLM, National Park Service) as SpayVac.
• Zoetis (Improvac / Improvest): Markets Improvac (a GnRH vaccine for boar taint control in swine) and is the largest pure-play animal health company. Comparable because it sells a single-dose GnRH immunocontraceptive for production animals (SpayVac's boar taint product candidate) and operates across the full animal health spectrum, including wildlife-adjacent products.
• BioVaxys Technology Corp. SpayVac's licensing partner for commercial rights in aquaculture. Comparable because it commercializes SpayVac's vaccine technology in fish applications, shares efficacy data development, and provides a market-facing channel for the same underlying platform.

Broad incumbents

• Elanco Animal Health: Large public animal health company with a broad portfolio of livestock and companion animal vaccines and therapeutics. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the animal vaccine market that could enter the immunocontraception space and compete for the same government and production animal customers.
• Virbac: Global animal health company with meaningful livestock and companion animal vaccine franchises. Comparable as a broad incumbent in animal vaccines and reproductive health products, with potential overlap on companion animal fertility control (SpayVac's pipeline indication).
• Merck Animal Health: Division of Merck offering a comprehensive range of animal vaccines, including wildlife and livestock products. Comparable as a broad incumbent with the scientific, manufacturing, and regulatory scale to potentially compete with SpayVac in wildlife and production animal immunocontraception.
• Vetoquinol: Global animal health company focused on livestock and companion animals, with reproductive and vaccine product lines. Comparable as a broad incumbent in animal vaccines with potential overlap to SpayVac's production animal and companion animal indications.
• Phibro Animal Health: Animal health and nutrition company with a livestock vaccine and pharmaceutical portfolio. Comparable as a broad incumbent targeting livestock producers who are also SpayVac's production animal customers for boar taint and bison fertility products.
• Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health: Global animal health leader with a strong livestock and swine vaccine portfolio, including reproductive health products. Comparable as a broad incumbent with adjacent swine and livestock vaccine offerings that could overlap with SpayVac's production animal pipeline.

Emerging players

• Science and Conservation Center (Bill Naillon, pZP program): Non-profit research organization that pioneered the original pZP (porcine Zona Pellucida) immunocontraceptive used in wildlife. Comparable as a developer and supplier of an earlier-generation pZP vaccine, serving many of the same zoo and wildlife management customers and representing the prior art that SpayVac's liposome-based formulation is designed to improve upon.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutu.be/92rcdnjSKfM
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spayvac-for-wildlife
• Xx.com/spayvac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SpayVac for Wildlife