DARO

What DARO does

DARO is a Lincoln, Nebraska-based biotech startup that provides whole-herd, non-invasive molecular pathogen and genomic strain surveillance for the commercial swine industry. The company's core platform, branded as the DARO Pathogen Surveillance System, applies pathogen detection methodologies adapted from Covid-19 pandemic testing to livestock health monitoring and detects Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) an average of four days earlier than conventional oral fluid testing. The system follows a four-stage Collect-Ship-Detect-Results workflow in which producers collect samples using DARO's proprietary methodology without needles or ropes, mail them to DARO's biosafety-certified laboratory in Lincoln, and receive digitally delivered results based on the lab's proprietary detection protocols.

The company operates a B2B, sales-led go-to-market motion targeting commercial pork producers, with a recurring or subscription-style testing revenue model priced on a quote basis rather than published rates. Customer acquisition is supplemented by event-driven visibility through organizations such as The Combine, Biotech Connector, and the Nebraska Ag Expo. The primary customer segment is swine producers, with the broader pork industry and protein supply chain as a secondary vertical. No named customers are publicly disclosed, and pricing is not published.

DARO was founded in 2024 and closed a $1.1 million seed funding round in February 2025 led by Invest Nebraska with participation from MOVE Venture Capital and the Nebraska Angel Network. The operating team is approximately five to six people, including Founder & CEO Kristen Bernhard (population genetics expertise), Co-Founder & COO Josh DeMers, Director of Laboratory Operations Bailey Barcal, Lab Technician Lexie Foster, and a scientific and commercial advisory bench spanning swine medicine (Maria Clavijo, DVM, PhD), global pathogen surveillance (Catherine Pratt), and technology startups (Rick Knudtson). The company is headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, and is actively commercializing within the US Midwest with early signals of international engagement.

Name

DARO

Legal name

Daro

Website

https://usedaro.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DARO is a Lincoln, Nebraska-based biotech startup that provides whole-herd, non-invasive molecular pathogen surveillance to detect swine diseases such as PRRS earlier than conventional oral fluid testing, serving commercial pork producers via mail-in lab-based testing services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Livestock Disease Diagnostics

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Microbiology & Infectious Disease Testing (Culture/PCR/Serology) (HLAMADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Genetic & Genomic Testing (germline, somatic, carrier, pharmacogenomics) (HLAAALAD), Genomics & Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) Services (HLAGANAA)

Keywords

• Swine disease surveillance
• Livestock pathogen detection
• Molecular diagnostics
• PRRS early detection
• Animal health monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincoln

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pathogen Surveillance Testing Services: DARO provides whole-herd pathogen surveillance services to swine producers. Producers collect and mail samples to DARO's lab, which processes them using proprietary protocols and delivers disease detection results. The recurring nature of herd health monitoring suggests a subscription or recurring testing revenue model.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

DARO provides whole-herd, non-invasive molecular pathogen and genomic strain surveillance services for commercial swine producers. Producers collect samples using DARO's proprietary methodology without needles or special equipment, mail the samples to DARO's biosafety certified laboratory in Lincoln, Nebraska, and receive digital results enabling early detection of diseases such as PRRS — on average four days earlier than oral fluid testing — so that interventions can be made before outbreaks spread across the barn.

Product overview

DARO offers a single unified product — the DARO Pathogen Surveillance System — which provides whole-herd, non-invasive molecular pathogen and genomic strain surveillance for early disease detection in livestock, specifically targeting swine producers. The system follows a four-stage process: Collect (using proprietary methodology), Ship (mail-based sample submission), Detect (biosafety certified lab analysis using proprietary protocols), and Results (fast delivery of disease intelligence to producers). The platform detects PRRS an average of 4 days earlier than conventional oral fluid testing methods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DARO Pathogen Surveillance System

Quantifiable outcome

• PRRS detection 4 days earlier than oral fluid testing

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Biotech ConnectorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBiotech Connector is an ecosystem organization that supports biotech startups. DARO appears as a member/participant in their network, likely providing access to industry connections, resources, and visibility within the biotech community.
• The CombineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Combine is a Nebraska-based agtech accelerator/organization. DARO participates in their ecosystem, gaining visibility and connections within the regional agtech startup community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BioChek: BioChek is a Netherlands-based molecular diagnostics company specializing in PCR test kits and instruments for poultry and swine disease detection, including PRRS. It directly competes with DARO in selling molecular pathogen detection workflows to livestock producers.
• Innovative Diagnostics (ID-Vet): Innovative Diagnostics develops and manufactures PCR and ELISA kits for veterinary and animal health applications, with a strong portfolio in swine disease testing including PRRS. It is a direct competitor in molecular diagnostics for the same customer base as DARO.
• Tetracore: Tetracore is a US-based molecular diagnostics company focused on transboundary and high-consequence livestock diseases (ASF, AI, FMD, PRRS). It is comparable as a specialized molecular pathogen detection developer for livestock producers and government biosecurity programs.

Broad incumbents

• IDEXX Laboratories: IDEXX is the dominant player in companion animal diagnostics and a major provider of livestock and poultry diagnostics including PCR for PRRS. As a broad incumbent it competes via established distribution, brand, and test menu breadth rather than DARO's whole-herd, mail-in surveillance niche.
• Zoetis: Zoetis is the largest global animal health company, offering pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and diagnostics (including molecular tests) for swine producers. It competes with DARO through its diagnostics portfolio and integrated pharma/diagnostics offering to enterprise pork producers.
• Neogen: Neogen provides food and animal safety diagnostics, including genomics and molecular testing services used in livestock production. It is comparable as a broad incumbent offering animal-side diagnostic and genomic solutions to producers.
• Phibro Animal Health: Phibro Animal Health supplies vaccines, pharmaceuticals, and nutritional specialty products for livestock, including swine. While not a pure diagnostics company, it competes for the same enterprise swine producer relationships and budget that DARO targets.
• Eurofins Scientific: Eurofins is a global testing services network that includes agricultural and animal health testing capabilities. It is comparable as a commercial laboratory services provider that could deliver pathogen surveillance on a contract basis to swine producers.

Others

• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher supplies the molecular PCR instruments, reagents, and consumables underlying livestock pathogen detection workflows. It is an enabling technology provider rather than a direct competitor, but its Applied Biosystems workflow underpins much of the molecular diagnostics industry DARO operates in.
• QIAGEN: QIAGEN provides sample preparation and PCR testing technologies widely used in molecular diagnostics labs. It is an adjacent enabling technology vendor to the livestock pathogen surveillance workflow DARO operates in.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/usedaro

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 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 DARO