2017 Under the Radar: Sprout Solutions yields tools, tech for animal feed

Editor’s note: Startland News picked 10 early-stage firms to spotlight for its annual Under the Radar startups list. The following is one of 2017’s companies. To view the full list, click here.

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For the agricultural industry, employees aren’t tied to a computer or in an office — they’re out in a field, said Gretchen Henry, co-founder of Sprout Solutions. This underscores the importance of mobile tools, she added.

Formerly a service of ConsultUS, Sprout Solutions provides web-based tools and systems for the animal feed industry. Whether for a manufacturer or a feed mill operator, the firm offers services that make it easier to track the byproducts, grains and ingredients needed by feedlots.

Henry presented Sprout Solutions’ first product, CommodiTrade, on the Techweek KC stage in 2016, snagging the firm a $50,000 grant from LaunchKC. The CommodiTrade platform handles logistics for commodity traders, minimizing risks and mistakes.

Since then, Sprout Solutions launched a new platform, Milling Station, which allows mill operators to easily view ingredients in their inventory, keeping track of sales and purchases.

Although the software solutions launched in 2016, the firm spun off Sprout Solutions as its own entity in 2017. Based in Prairie Village, Kansas, Sprout Solutions is looking to relocate this fall to Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District.

Sprout Solutions now has three employees, including its two co-founders (Henry and Jim Taylor) and a new hire — a business development manager with experience working at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  

“I feel very good about each of the partnerships we’ve engaged with over the year,” Henry said. “I feel we have a great team, and look forward to adding to our team in the next year.”

The firm is expecting to close a seed round this year and has garnered an annual revenue of about $250,000. With the funds, Henry said Sprout Solutions plans to focus on onboarding more clients.