DARO
DARO
DARO
BY KRISTEN BERNHARD
In 2020, Nebraska was one of the first states in the country to implement a wastewater testing program to monitor the spread of COVID-19 in communities.
Members of our DARO team were part of the creation and optimization of Nebraska’s Wastewater Pilot Project, which was a national frontrunner during the pandemic.
The wastewater systems gave early and accurate community data about the spread and severity of the virus.
While the pandemic was a challenging time for everyone, it helped us see the needs of our swine industry in a new light.
Not only are we living right in the epicenter of pork production, but the pork industry is an integral piece of food production for the U.S.
It’s also very vulnerable to disease outbreaks, and if these outbreaks are not found and mitigated early, it can become a food security issue.
That’s why I decided to launch DARO, an agricultural biotech company that provides herd-wide pathogen surveillance systems.
Our technology helps farmers detect, forecast and prevent diseases to protect their livestock.
As DARO expands to empower farmers and revolutionize farm resiliency, we’ve been grateful for the support of many community programs. In particular, receiving the LaunchLNK grant was an important step in helping us take the next one.
The right fit
When I first started DARO, our team had no intention of moving to Lincoln.
We all lived in the Omaha area and came from working at UNMC.
Our plan was to start DARO in Omaha, but we ended up falling in love with the support systems Lincoln had to offer.
Between the Biotech Connector, the Nebraska Innovation Campus, and the Combine, these resources are unlike anything else we have ever seen.
These resources have really propelled our project, and we are so grateful for all of it.
We feel like we are in the right place, at the right time, and for the right reasons.
Receiving LPED’s Launch LNK grant was like the cherry on top.
To have our community leaders vote for us to succeed felt like a true honor.
It was a true testament to our ideas and dreams and gave us the motivation and financial support to keep pushing forward.
A true partnership
The LaunchLNK grant had a practical impact on DARO’s growth from day one.
It allowed us to begin building our lab. It helped fund some critical equipment to test our assumptions and improve our product.
But beyond the grant itself, we’ve made priceless connections with the grant’s sponsors and affiliates.
First, I want to thank Kathy Andersen. Her wisdom and encouragement has been wonderful. She was one of the first people to embrace our vision.
Joshua DeMers and the entire Combine team have also been instrumental in getting DARO off the ground.
One of the challenges of leading DARO is being a part of a rapidly growing startup.
I’m the kind of person who wants to do it all.
I want to create the vision, execute it, and make sure it gets done, all the way down to making sure the trash gets taken out.
It’s a lot to keep organized, and it’s a lot to execute correctly.
The best thing I could do was to have a support network.
I have the best DARO team, and I rely on them each and every day.
We all know we are doing something special here. Our real-time monitoring systems will help farmers keep their livestock healthy and protect our food systems for years to come.
I believe we are changing the production animal health space with our technologies, and we are forever grateful to LPED for believing in us, and for helping us get to where we are today.
Receiving LPED’s Launch LNK grant was like the cherry on top. To have our community leaders vote for us to succeed felt like a true honor. It was a true testament to our ideas and dreams and gave us the motivation and financial support to keep pushing forward.
A continous progression
In reflecting on DARO’s journey thus far, I think our greatest win to date is just the continuous progress.
When you’re in the midst of everything, it’s easy to feel like you are not getting anywhere.
But when I looked back at my plan for DARO at the end of quarter two in 2024, I was amazed to see that we are right on target.
We have a lot to do, but it’s the progress that keeps my morale and my team’s morale up.
We will forever be grateful for the support of LPED and the Lincoln community for helping us get here.
We are so excited to innovate a healthier future for farmers in Nebraska and beyond.
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