In the race to secure global food supplies and protect livestock, imagine a ‘ChatGPT’ for biological signs that could help detect animal health diseases before they become catastrophic. Meet Ingenum co-founders Tom Brownlie and Christopher Liang working together to pioneer an innovative AI model to target disease detection in agriculture.
A participant of the Sprout Accelerator Spring24 cohort, Ingenum is a venture who has a big ambitious goal: solve global problems in animal health and revolutionise biosecurity
Tom, a production animal veterinarian turned epidemiologist, and Christopher, an applied mathematician and AI specialist, believe that preemptive disease detection is essential to transforming how we nourish and sustain life on Earth, especially as we face rapidly increasing demands on the global food supply.
With a shared vision of utilising AI to detect biological patterns in complex, unstructured data, the duo has built Ingenum into a cutting-edge biosecurity venture that addresses one of our most pressing global needs.
Drawing on his extensive experience in veterinary medicine, farming and epidemiology, Tom notes, “As vets and farmers, we often work in isolation, struggling to connect the dots in disease patterns across regions.”
Ingenum aims to change that by creating a foundational AI model that can identify biological traits and signs from vast sets of agricultural data.
Christopher brings deep expertise from his roles in AI, previously as head of AI at Xero and CTO at Qrious, New Zealand’s largest AI and data analytics group. Together, Tom and Christopher form a formidable partnership—Tom with his veterinary science roots and Christopher with his data science experience — are poised to bring the AI revolution to the field of biosecurity.
Ingenum has begun testing its system by reaching out to veterinary practices and building a model that functions as a diagnostic aid.
“I was genuinely surprised by how eager the veterinary community has been to embrace this technology. It speaks to the AI zeitgeist; they’re ready to engage with new tools to enhance their diagnostics.”
Ingenum is built on a compelling “what if” scenario: What if we could detect diseases before they became a crisis? This is the question driving the team as they develop their innovative AI technology. With recent advances in AI, Christopher and Tom believe the time is now to harness this potential. “We couldn’t have done this five years ago,” says Tom. “The technology just wasn’t there, but now we’re developing our own AI tools to meet this specific need.”
“Diseases like Mycoplasma bovis have cost our country millions. If we’d had the technology in place to detect it sooner, we could have drastically reduced its impact,” Tom explains. “Our system could allow early detection and a coordinated response, creating a safer, more resilient agricultural sector.”
Being selected for the Sprout Accelerator marks a significant milestone for the team. “Being chosen for the Sprout Accelerator was validation of how far we’ve come and our potential for growth,” says Tom. With Sprout’s mentorship, Ingenum’s next steps will focus on refining their product and proving its market viability to attract investors.
The team will mark their success when their AI model makes its first breakthrough — detecting a disease early enough to prevent a crisis. “When we can definitively say, ‘Our technology detected this and helped prevent a major loss,’ that’s when we’ll know we’ve made a real difference.”
Ingenum is a venture with far-reaching aspirations, aimed at creating a safer, healthier future for agriculture worldwide. With each step forward, they’re inching closer to their ultimate goal: transforming agricultural disease detection and ensuring that food security remains strong for generations to come.