Feragen raises €100K from Raiffeisen to grow pet-genetics platform
What's the deal? FeragenDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Salzburg-based animal genetics lab, has raised €100,000 (roughly $116,540) in an early-stage equity round from Raiffeisen Salzburg Start-Up eGen. The company specialises in genetic diagnostics for animals, including breeding programmes for dogs.
What's the endgame? Feragen runs a digital platform that lets breeders, breeding associations, and vets manage genetic data and analysis results. Its DogMatching tool checks how well two animals fit genetically before a planned pairing, aiming to cut risks and improve the long-term genetic health of populations.
The platform now has about 10,500 users and has logged 38,000 dogs. A single analysis can detect hundreds of inherited diseases before they pass to the next generation, the company says.
How it started: Feragen grew out of research by molecular biologist Anja Geretschläger at the University of Salzburg, which began in 2012. It became a company in 2017 and is now run by Anja Geretschläger, who leads research and development, and Michael Geretschläger, who heads sales and marketing.
What's the money for? The company plans to expand its digital offering and enter more international markets. It already serves customers across several European countries.
Why now? Raiffeisen Salzburg Start-Up eGen said Feragen fits its investment strategy, citing the lab's scientific depth and its combination of diagnostics and digitalisation. "Feragen shows how a research project at a university can become an internationally successful company," the firm's start-up team said (translated from German).
Anja Geretschläger, co-chief executive officer, said the firm valued a backer that understood the science behind its work. "An investor who understands that there is research behind our analyses, not a quick product, is rare," she said (translated from German).
The signal: The round is small, but it points to regional investors backing science-led spinouts in niche markets. Co-chief executive officer Michael Geretschläger framed the ambition plainly: to prove "that a global market leader in the pet sector" can come out of Salzburg (translated from German).
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