The HARVEST Agtech Showcase and Pitch Night saw an impressive gathering, as more than 100 guests converged at RASWA to engage with the cohort of startups selected for this year’s HARVEST Agtech program, witness their agtech innovations on display, and hear their business pitches.
Congratulations to Xsights Digital Pty Ltd, Energy Farmers Australia Pty Ltd, Carbon West, Industrial Automation Group Pty Ltd, Farm Optimisation Group, CabChart, Waytree, QL Space for their hard work, commitment and growth over the last 4 months.
For almost 7 years, the AgriStart HARVEST program has been providing a unique opportunity for agtech startups in Western Australia, with a focus broader than business scaling, immersing and connecting the businesses into the ecosystem of industry and supply chains. This year’s program including a business bootcamp amongst farms and field sites at Muresk , a suite of masterclasses led by industry experts, a 2 day field trip to the Wheatbelt and site visits to Food Innovation Precinct Western Australia and C-Wise.
Liam O’Connell, Executive Director, Agribusiness, Food & Trade, Industry & Economic Development, from HARVEST Founding Partner Department of Primary Industries & Regional Development (DPIRD) spoke at the Showcase:
“I would like to pay tribute to the AgriStart HARVEST program. The agtech community that you see now didn't exist back in 2018. Thank you for your leadership, energy, and commitment and we're delighted to have partnered with you for the last six years. It’s great to see our agtech community so vibrant and strong here in WA. If you look to the future, some of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing us are all going to have to be solved by technology and innovation. This area is in a good space and ripe for growth.”
Thank you to Dr Bill Ryan from AgriFutures Board of Directors, who spoke about AgriFutures evokeAG, a world class agrifood tech innovation event bringing together the ecosystem of farmers, innovators, researchers, investors, and policy makers, and hosted this year in Perth on 20th and 21st February. Early bird tickets available now: https://www.evokeag.com/evokeag-2024/
The AgriStart HARVEST program is supported by the Department of Primary Industries & Regional Development (DPIRD) , Grains Research and Development Corporation, Wrays | Intellectual Property, CSBP Fertilisers, AgriFutures Australia, and Wheatbelt Development Commission.
Sincere thanks to Royal Agricultural Society of WA and program alumni Rocky Ridge Brewing Co. for their generosity supporting this event.