To maintain milk production, as well as to breed the next generation of heifers, dairy cows must calve every year. Traditionally, half the progeny is male. These bobby calves, worth little on the market, are typically slaughtered within days of birth. Famers and animal genetics companies are keen to improve animal welfare and recognise that this practice is unsustainable. The best way of preventing it is to keep male calves from being conceived.
Sperm have an X (female) or Y (male) chromosome, which determines the sex of the calf. Existing methods for separating X from Y sperm are imperfect, expensive and can damage sperm, lowering fertility rates. Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland Professor Cather Simpson thought she could do better.
Engender’s method is gentler than other methods, resulting in a higher rate of sperm viability. Because the technology uses microfluidics on a chip rather than a dedicated laboratory, it's also more cost-effective.
Simpson founded Engender in 2011 with the support of UniServices and seed investment firm Pacific Channel. With Simpson as Chief Scientific Officer, the company soon developed a strong IP portfolio and attracted more investment and positive attention.
In 2016, the start-up won an AgFunder Innovation award and the Ag-Tech Sector of the World Cup Tech Challenge in Silicon Valley.
Then, while Engender was undertaking a Series B funding round, it received an acquisition offer from CRV International, a multinational farmer cooperative focused on livestock genetics. The deal closed in 2018 and the original investors, including UniServices, exited, making handsome profits.
“It’s a great example of a company spinning out from the University, developing a product and being acquired by a larger company that stays local to keep the talent that can develop the technology,” says UniServices Executive Director of Commercialisation Will Charles. “It demonstrates to academics and students what’s possible.”
