Victorian agtech startup Drone-Hand has raised $720,000 in a pre-Seed round for its autonomous livestock management platform. The raise was led by US VC Radius Capital, supported by three local agribusiness investors Gippsland-based Edward Barraclough founded Drone-Hand in 2023, having grown up in NSW on a mixed livestock property. The idea was inspired by an… Read more »
A Sydney startup looking to reduce methane emissions from livestock has raised $11 million in a Series A. The round for Number 8 Bio was led by Kiwi VC Icehouse Ventures with support from existing backer Main Sequence, as well as Japanese climate VC One Innovators joining the cap table. Japan is Australia’s second largest… Read more »
Queensland agtech startup SwarmFarm Robotics has secured $30 million in Series B funding to ramp up production of its autonomous SwarmBots and expand into North America. The round was led by European agtech investor Edaphon, with participation from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), QIC and Artesian Capital. The CEFC contributed $7 million through its… Read more »
Two startups from LaunchVic’s recent CivVic Labs accelerator program have banked $35,000 each to develop their ideas further. The program saw WoolGrow Australia and CForge each receive $35,000 to help bring their circular agriculture solutions to market. The decision follows a pitch featuring all 10 startups, which each one receiving $15,000 in equity-free funding, in… Read more »
The recent Productivity Roundtable in Canberra focused on how to increase productivity and resilience with technology, but one niche sector was overlooked, as it often is: agtech. Yet agriculture is where some of the most urgent innovation is taking place, particularly in adapting to climate change, increasing yields and productivity. Beanstalk’s Drought Venture Studio, backed… Read more »
Farm communications startup Zetifi has landed a $5 million from the Australian Government’s Industry Growth Program for a $10 million plan to commercialise its smart antenna platform globally. The regional NSW startup extends the range of data connectivity and communications on remote properties by transforming antennas from passive components into devices using RF (radio frequency)… Read more »
When I was an agtech founder, I made the mistake of thinking distribution was everything. I’d rack up thousands of miles driving from region to region, just to get our product in one more ag retail outlet. Each new dealer felt like a victory—proof that we were building something real, something that would make it… Read more »
An agtech startup from La Trobe University has banked $1.7 million to address food security in the latest investment from Breakthrough Victoria’s University Innovation Program. Gaia Project Australia (GPA) was founded in 2020 by engineer Nadun Hennayaka. He’s developed a patented method for leafy green vegetable growers to increase yields by up to 40%, without… Read more »
Main Sequence-backed Levur, a biotech startup looking to create a palm oil alternative from yeast using fermentation, has won $100,000 consulting advice from the KPMG Nature Positive Prize. The Sydney startup, founded Tom Collier and Joanne Barber, was part of the SparkLabs Cultiv8 program last year, and was among five Australian startups selected from among… Read more »
Startup builder Beanstalk Ventures recently harvested the first crop of agtech startups from its latest program, the Drought Venture Studio, a 12-week program backed by the federal government’s Future Drought Fund. Eight startups and their leaders were selected for the recent Innovation Showcase, whittled down from 24 chosen for the inaugural program from among 200… Read more »
Not-for-profit research and development company Hort Innovation is teaming up with venture capital firm Artesian for a new $60 million VC fund to back early-stage startups tackling challenges for fruit, vegetable and nut farmers. Hort will chip in around $24 million to the Hort Innovation Venture Fund, leveraged by co-investments sourced by Artesian, for a… Read more »
Another startup hoping to tackle the problem of methane emissions from livestock has raised $7 million in a Seed round. But rather than seaweed, Number 8 Bio is using synthetic biology to create a cost effective solution to dealing with cow burps. The round was led by CSIRO-backed Main Sequence, with support from Breakthrough Victoria,… Read more »
Queensland farm management tech platform Inform Ag has sold of 43% stake in the business for $7 million in its first external raise, 12 years after launching. The cash came from a customer, the ASX-listed Rural Funds Group (ASX: RFF) in something of a strategic shift for the agricultural fund manager, which has traditionally invested… Read more »
In 1949, a wildfire broke out in a place called Mann Gulch, a remote area of Montana. A team of 15 smokejumpers, highly-trained wildfire fighters, were flown into the area, and parachuted onto an otherwise inaccessible mountainside to begin hemming in the flames. Almost as soon as the team hit the ground, the wind changed,… Read more »
An agtech startup cofounded by the former boss of CSIRO’s Data61 has raised $5.3 million in a Seed round. The round was led by existing investor Salus Ventures, which has also backed local deep tech startups such as HEO, Advanced Navigation, and Q-Ctrl. Also chipping in for ExoFlare were Harris Farm’s David and Cathy Harris,… Read more »
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