Where investors, growers, farmers and agtech ventures meet to accelerate innovation in agriculture

Agtech founders who want honest feedback on their profile, pitch and fundraising readiness, along with practical online tools to support their fundraising process

Investors who want access to interesting agtech deals and a simpler way to review opportunities and connect with founders

Growers, farmers and others in the industry who want to engage earlier with, and support, emerging technologies and help shape solutions that work in on-farm, real world conditions

• Detailed review and feedback – Receive practical feedback on your profile and pitch from our ag and investment team to help improve your fundraising readiness
• Fundraising online platform – Create your profile, upload your pitch, and use AI investor matching and the CRM to manage outreach, track conversations, and stay on top of investor outreach and updates
• Connection – Connect with investors, through the investor matching tool and have the chance to do a Meet the Founder Q&A session, and with growers, farmers and others in the ag industry who can provide valuable real-world feedback
• Education & support – Comprehensive tutorial to help you use the platform most effectively, plus access practical guidance on fundraising, data room documentation, and have access to our expert team

While funding is not guaranteed, the platform is designed to help you strengthen your pitch and readiness for fundraising and actively reach out to investors.

• Early Access to Agtech innovation – Connect with emerging agtech ventures and gain early visibility of opportunities, with the ability to provide feedback and influence at an early stage
• Expert Insights – Deal notes from our expert ag and investment team to support your own review and due diligence
• Meet the Founders – Through online Q&A sessions, or reach out directly to hear their story, ask questions, and build confidence in the opportunities you explore
• Flexible participation – Opt in or out of each opportunity, with no obligation to invest. Syndication option offered for specified deals.
• Educational resources – Access resources on both agtech and early-stage investing

Steph is currently Executive Officer at South West Angels/Regional Ventures WA, a not-for-profit who source and screen innovative, scaleable WA startups for their regionally based members, and offer education sessions on angel investing for potential investors and how to become investment ready for founders. Steph also has a consulting business, Uniquely South West, is on the Dunsborough Tennis committee and organises the Dunsborough Street Party. Steph was previously the Event & Membership Manager at the Dunsborough Yallingup Chamber of Commerce. Prior to moving to WA, she was Vice President at Goldman Sachs Asset Management where she worked for 16 years in London and Singapore in client service, sales & marketing, strategy, and private markets teams. Originally Steph spent 10 years in an export consulting business in both Perth and Melbourne working with small to medium companies.

Dr Natasha Teakle is experienced in business strategy, commercialisation, innovation and is passionate about sustainable primary industries and new technology. In 2016 she co-founded and still leads AgriStart, part of Innovation Cluster, which focuses on empowering innovative businesses and supporting regional development. AgriStart have worked with hundreds of startups from across Australia, and have supported more than 80 businesses through the HARVEST Agtech accelerator over the last 8 years. Tash was previously a facilitator for Accelerating Commercialisation, a role that focused on deep due diligence for startup funding. She holds several board, advisory and volunteer roles including with Busselton Jetty Inc, SW NRM, SIFT, South West Angels, and has previously been on the judging panel for the WA Innovator of the Year awards. Tash is an active angel investor and part of two other syndicates.

Matt is the non-executive Chair of: icetana (ASX:ICE) an AI-first video analytics company serving the global security industry, having previously served as CEO when the company went public on the ASX; the Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) an export grains research organisation, having been a director since its founding in 2012; and, PetRescue, a not-for-profit charity helping rescue pets find new homes through innovative technology solutions Matt is also an independent non-executive director of AgriFutures, a statutory body that funds research and development for Australian rural industries. Prior to moving to non-executive roles Matt co-founded a $40m venture capital fund in Perth, co-founded a software startup in Perth; spent 11 years in Europe working in telecom mergers and acquisitions; and contributed to early stage startups as an angel investor and mentor. VC/angel investments include exits from: Agworld, Dimerix, BusyBot and Kanopy Streaming. Current investments include: Appbot, icetana, uDrew, Functionally, Nyfty.ai, Bamboo, and the Vocus/Amcom Upstart accelerator companies. Matt has deployed over $1m of his own cash into startups and scaleups as an angel investor. He is a passionate advocate for the knowledge economy and commercialisation of great ideas through amazing people.

Josh was named the 2023 Australian Angel Investor of the Year and is highly regarded in Australia’s investment and commercialisation space. He’s a co-founder and partner at Eastend Ventures, a values-led firm backing innovative, high-growth companies who recently launched their first fund. Josh is also co-founder and CEO of South Australian based Southern Angels helping channel millions into early-stage ventures and supporting startups on their journey to scale. Josh has a background in tech commercialisation (AC and IGP) and marketing, has served as a Commercialisation Facilitator for the Federal Government’s Accelerating Commercialisation program and adviser and facilitator for a number of innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialisation programs.

Sonya Comiskey is an Australian agritech advisor and ecosystem builder who helps domestic and international founders and producers bridge the gap between on-farm challenges and scalable solutions. A 2018 Nuffield Scholar, with a background in commercial production and branded beef, she has a deep understanding of the agrifood supply chain. As Managing Director of Pine Tree Projects, Sonya works with startups, producer networks and innovation programs to drive adoption and ROI from digital tools – most recently through Queensland’s FarmTechConnect agtech adoption pilot. She brings hands-on producer experience, startup fluency, and a plain-English, outcomes-focused style that supports founders to validate markets, refine business models, and build solutions that work for both growers and investors.

Amy has spent her career building ventures that drive real impact. At 22, she founded a multi-award-winning social enterprise in Mozambique, lifting 60,000+ people out of poverty while creating one of the world’s top sustainable tourism businesses. Now, as Co-Founder of Raaise, she’s tackling one of the biggest barriers holding back pro-planet innovation—access to capital. Raaise is building the fundraising infrastructure needed to help impact-driven founders secure investment faster, with less friction, and on better terms.