Who is the CEO of Halter?

Craig Piggott is the CEO of Halter. The company was founded in 2016.

Where is Halter located?

Halter is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand.

What funding stage is Halter at?

Halter is currently at the Global expansion phase with $220M Series E raised at $2B valuation; 1M+ collars deployed across 2,000+ farms in New Zealand, Australia, and United States stage.

How many employees does Halter have?

Halter has approximately 400+ employees.

Halter

Category: AI in Agriculture

Solar-powered smart collars and mobile app platform enabling virtual fencing, remote cattle herding, and real-time livestock management for pasture-based farms. Halter was founded in 2016. The company is led by Craig Piggott. Based in Auckland, New Zealand. Team size: 400+. Total funding raised: $398.3M. Latest round: Series E ($220M, Mar 2026). Key investors include ["Founders Fund","BOND","Bessemer Venture Partners","Blackbird Ventures","DCVC","NewView Capital","Promus Ventures","Ubiquity Ventures","Icehouse Ventures","Peter Beck (Rocket Lab)"].

Founded: 2016
Headquarters: Auckland, New Zealand
Team size: 400+
Total funding: $398.3M

Value proposition

Replaces physical fencing infrastructure with GPS-enabled virtual boundaries, enabling remote herd movement, 24/7 animal monitoring, and automated grazing management through a smartphone app—reducing labor requirements while improving pasture utilization and farm productivity.

Products and solutions

["Solar-Powered GPS Smart Collars for cattle","Virtual Fencing System with unlimited boundary creation","Halter Mobile App for remote herd management","Automated Cattle Shifting & Herding System","Real-Time Animal Health & Behavior Monitoring","Heat Detection & Breeding Cycle Tracking","Pasture Management & Grazing Optimization Tools","On-Farm LoRaWAN Communication Towers"]

Unique value

World-first patented Cowgorithm® AI algorithm that automatically trains cattle to respond to directional sound and vibration cues from collars, enabling virtual fencing without physical barriers. The system combines GPS positioning, LoRaWAN connectivity, and multi-sensor monitoring in a lightweight, solar-powered collar that works without cellular coverage.

Target customer

Beef ranchers and dairy farmers seeking to reduce labor costs, improve operational efficiency, and modernize livestock management across New Zealand, Australia, and the United States

Industries served

["Agricultural Technology (AgTech)","Beef Cattle Ranching","Dairy Farming","Precision Agriculture","Livestock Management","Sustainable Agriculture"]

Technology advantage

Fully integrated hardware-software-AI platform that combines solar-powered GPS collars, proprietary long-range communication infrastructure, and AI-driven animal behavior training. The technology eliminates $15,000-$30,000 per mile costs of physical fencing while enabling precision grazing management, rotational grazing at scale, and real-time health monitoring. Over 100 engineers and designers develop the complete system in-house, creating strong technical moats in animal training algorithms, low-power electronics, and farm-specific UX design.

How they differentiate

Proprietary Cowgorithm® AI algorithm for automated cattle training with directional audio/vibration cues; full-stack in-house development (hardware, software, AI) with 100+ engineers; active herding capability beyond just containment; solar-powered collars with 5-year lifespan vs competitors' 6-9 month replaceable batteries; LoRaWAN connectivity enabling operation without cellular coverage in remote areas; U.S. Bureau of Land Management partnership ($2.7M) for federal public lands

Main competitors

["Nofence","Vence (Merck Animal Health)","eShepherd (Gallagher)"]

Key partnerships

["U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) - $2.7M partnership for virtual fencing on federal public lands","Foundation for America's Public Lands - Supporting rancher adoption programs","ANZ, ASB, and BNZ Banks - Sustainability lending programs for Halter-equipped farms","Grazing management and soil health educational consultants","Sir Peter Beck (Rocket Lab founder) - Board member and strategic advisor"]

Notable customers

["U.S. Bureau of Land Management","Foundation for America's Public Lands","ANZ Bank sustainability programs","ASB Bank sustainability programs","BNZ Bank sustainability programs","2,000+ ranchers and dairy farmers"]

Major milestones

["Series A raised $7M led by Founders Fund with Peter Thiel's backing (2018)","Series B raised $29M NZD led by Blackbird Ventures (May 2022)","Series C raised NZ$85M (~$53M USD) led by Bessemer Venture Partners (Mar 2023)","Achieved unicorn status with $100M Series D at $1B valuation led by BOND (Jun 2025)","Doubled valuation to $2B with $220M Series E led by Founders Fund (Mar 2026)","Deployed 1 million collars across 2,000+ farms","Secured $2.7M U.S. Bureau of Land Management partnership for federal lands","Created 11,000+ miles of virtual fencing in U.S. market","KiwiBank New Zealander of the Year Innovator Award (2025)"]

Growth metrics

Reached unicorn status ($1B valuation) in June 2025, doubled to $2B valuation by March 2026; 1M+ collars sold; 2,000+ farmers served across 3 countries; 400+ employees; estimated $35.9M revenue (2025)

Market positioning

Global market leader in virtual fencing by revenue and collar volume with 1M+ collars deployed; premium comprehensive farm operating system positioning at $5-8 per animal/month; strongest product-market fit demonstrated in traditionally tech-averse livestock industry; only virtual fencing company to achieve unicorn status ($2B valuation)

Geographic focus

New Zealand (home market/origin), Australia, United States (rapid expansion across 18+ states); 11,000+ miles of virtual fencing created in U.S. alone; primary growth focus on North American ranching market

Patents and IP

Patented Cowgorithm® AI algorithm for automated cattle training and behavior management; additional proprietary IP in GPS collar hardware design, LoRaWAN farm communication systems, and virtual fencing methodology

About Craig Piggott

Craig Piggott is the founder and CEO of Halter. Prior to founding the company in 2016 at the age of 21, he worked as a Mechanical Engineer at Rocket Lab under Sir Peter Beck, where he was involved in rocket design and manufacturing for the Electron rocket program. He grew up on a dairy farm in the Waikato region of New Zealand, which inspired his mission to modernize agriculture. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) with First Class Honours from the University of Auckland (2012-2015). He was recognized in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list (2021), won the NZ Hi-Tech Young Achiever Award (2020), and was a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year (2024).

Official website: https://www.halterhq.com