Performance Livestock Analytics has established itself in the Iowa State University Research Park as part of the Ag Startup Engine and ISU Startup Factory.
The business was founded in 2015 by Osage, Iowa, natives Dustin Balsley, a graduate from Luther College, and Dane Kuper, a graduate in agricultural studies from Iowa State University.
Performance Livestock Analytics strives to meet the growing demand for meat products through the application of data science to livestock farming. The business is helping livestock producers become more sustainable and profitable through a precision agricultural application. By combining cloud-based technology with on-farm information, the company’s software helps livestock producers efficiently measure and manage activities and inventories.
Balsley and Kuper have relocated their corporate headquarters from Osage to Ames and will be using their existing relationship with the Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative in Iowa State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to source talented interns to contribute to their team.
“We’re pleased to have office space at the Iowa State University Research Park,” said Balsley, the company’s chief operating officer. “We have interns from ISU, and our presence will enable us to engage interns more effectively as well as attract full-time employees as our team grows.”
“It’s a great opportunity for us to be a part of the Ag Startup Engine and ISU Startup Factory,” said Kuper, the chief executive officer. “It provides a platform for continued growth of our business and the support we need to scale up in the agricultural technology space.”
The Ag Startup Engine at the Iowa State University Research Park is an accelerator program that identifies and funds innovative agricultural startups, providing funding, mentorship and support to agricultural entrepreneurs. Ag Startup Engine is part of the ISU Startup Factory, a broader initiative that works to foster technology-based businesses with Iowa State University students, faculty and staff.
“The Ag Startup Engine will provide Performance Livestock Analytics with access to networks and resources helpful to their continued growth,” said Kevin Kimle, director of ISU’s Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative, which helped launch the Ag Startup Engine. “Dane and Dustin have done a fantastic job of launching their products into the beef industry. We look forward to supporting them as their business grows its customer base.”
Balsley and Kuper’s business recently was named one of the semi-finalist teams in the American Farm Bureau’s 2017 Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge. The pair also were awarded the top prize of $25,000 in the 2016 Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Venture Competition and the $25,000 Proof of Commercial Relevance grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
More information can be found at www.performancelivestockanalytics.com, or by e-mailing Dustin@cattlekrush.com. Information is also available by calling (515) 508-1838.
Established in 2005, the Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University offers courses and experiences to aspiring entrepreneurs and works to contribute to a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Source: iastate.edu