Alexa Anthony is the founder and CEO of
an artificial intelligence company for livestock care. MagicAI launched in June 2017 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Learn more about Alexa and her company by reading our interview below.
Tell us a little about MagicAI? What inspired you to start the company?
Animals are such an important part of our lives, and our dependence on them is only increasing. From our pets, who are like family members, to the food animals we never see. Yet the way we monitor and manage all these animals could use a serious upgrade. At MagicAI we use computer vision and machine learning to monitor animal health and behavior. So we are like an animal fitness tracker, and all you need is a video camera. No wearable devices.
My inspiration behind the company was a horse named Magic. I am a former division one champion equestrian athlete, and Magic was the horse that took me to the highest level of my career. He died on Christmas night in 2012 from a common horse illness. I don’t want any other animal lover to experience the loss like I did with Magic, so I started this company. We are first focusing on the equine market then have plans to move into other sectors.
How is MagicAI help changing the world?
There are billions of animals in the world, and the numbers are projected to double by 2050. Yet animal management is the least digitized industry. Quantifying animal wellness, behaviors, and activities will decrease disease transmission, enhance food supply security, reduce resource consumption, and improve the lives of animals.
What are some challenges you’ve faced?
I am a non-technical first-time female entrepreneur, doing something very technical and very new, in a market most venture capitalists haven’t seen. We have been lucky to find early investors that appreciate the strengths we bring to the table, and the significant opportunity we represent. But being too unique has been a challenge. So what do you do? Persist. Persist. Persist.
What’s been your biggest win so far?
Deploying our product to our first major competition facility has been our biggest win so far. People say that nothing beats putting your product(that you have worked so hard to create) into the hands of customers. I have to agree, nothing beats that feeling! I had customers literally shout in surprise when they got our app on their phone, and look at their horse and the wellness stats.
How do you define success?
I want improve the lives of these animals, and make an impact on global problems. How well my business grows is a measure of that success.
