Article Credit: EvokeAG.
The evokeAG. Startup Network in collaboration with AgriStart is designed to build the networks and capability of Australian agrifood startups to support adoption of new technologies on farm.
The program builds on the knowledge base provided during the evokeAG. Grassroots Series and will feature interactive online webinars and networking events, focused on adoption of agrifood innovations and connecting key players across the agrifood supply chain.
Up to six successful participants will receive mentorship from industry experts and be matched with grower mentors, attend a face-to-face kick off bootcamp in Sydney along with innovation tours and will end the program with a pitch and technology adoption workshops in regional NSW. The participants will also receive curated pitching opportunities based on their needs and target audience.
This program is entirely curated based on the founder’s needs, and therefore will continue be built and shaped once the founders have been selected.
Objectives
Increase the networks of founders in the Australian agricultural ecosystem
Build the capability of Australian agrifood founders entering into grower markets
Support and facilitate adoption of new technology on farm
2022 Cohort
Founders: Thomas Tadrowski, Carlos Tomaz, Slawomir Mikrut, Winthrop, Western Australia
The team behind GeoApsis, Solcomm and InvestGis has teamed up to build a true long-range, long-endurance hydrogen fuel-cell drone system for remote and regional Australia, based upon an existing proprietary proven design.
The Project will produce a new propulsion system for long range and/or long endurance drone flight (200km+ and/or 4 hrs+) – a necessity for regional and remote Australia and a current technology barrier of LiPo battery drones.
The Project will resolve and deploy a reliable, consistent communications solution (with redundancy) between the drone and Flight Control Centre, over the entire flight sorties in remote & rural Australia. Demonstrable long-endurance drone complementing precision agriculture operations.
Founder, Philip O. Livingston Jr
Gasbot develops ultra-low-cost fit-bits to monitor stationary liquid and gaseous industrial commodity assets at scale.
Gasbot is endeavouring to reduce on-farm operational costs through asset to cloud digitization at approximately an order of magnitude lower cost than current market providers. At Gasbot we design and manufacture sensors, telemetry radios and a thin ‘data cleansing’ cloud layer for easy visualization and ingestion of customer owned (and directed) data into 3rd party cloud platforms. Gasbot launched its Agbot brand in March of 2022, specifically targeting on-farm liquids. Harnessing our “Nebula Blue” micro-satellite powered communications module, the Agbot product line includes a ‘snap in’ cable management integration base with cockatoo protection cover, 3.5m to 60m Teflon coated multi-fluid sensor cable lengths and cloud related adjustments to optimize on-farm liquid monitoring use cases. The entire Agbot product offering was designed iteratively through multiple 360-degree meetings with growers, cattle farmers, technology integrators, and well-established agriculture brands, with multiple successful field trials executed across Australia. The Agbot micro-satellite unit with sensor, base and cover is currently being offered to market as a Hardware as a Service (HaaS) product for $20 AUD per month with unlimited replacement for all parts during the HaaS contracted term.
Founders: Benjamin Keiller, Andrew Keith, Taison Huang, Richard Vidanage and Julie Nguyen
Fertiliser prices are spiking across the world, while carbon emissions are increasing relentlessly. At Australian Hydrothermal, we aim to kill two birds with one stone using our revolutionary technology of Hydrothermal Carbonisation. Using nothing more than heat, pressure and water, we can convert any wet, organic waste into sustainable, cost effective fertilisers that do not rely on global supply chains or environmentally damaging raw materials, as well as carbon-neutral electricity. With Hydrothermal Carbonisation, we can save Australian farmers and consumers money, while also building a cleaner, greener, net-zero future for everyone.
Founders: Louise Brown, Kerstin Petroll, Robert Willows and Ante Jerkovic
At HydGene Renewables, we are revolutionising the way we produce green hydrogen – a clean molecule that will accelerate our transition to a net zero-carbon future. We have engineered a biocatalyst solution that generates carbon-neutral and high purity hydrogen from renewable plant-based feedstocks such as straw and food-waste. The hydrogen is made on-site and on-demand, and so we eliminate the need, complexities, and high costs of hydrogen storage and transport. Our biocatalyst is deployed in a modular cartridge which can be readily scaled to support the decarbonisation of major hydrogen industries including chemical manufacturing (for ammonia production) and the energy sector.
To achieve a net-zero and sustainable circular economy requires new solutions in utilising our waste sources. Often burnt in the field or buried as landfill, plant-based biomass from the forestry, farming and food sectors is a massive untapped resource for bioenergy production. Decarbonising industries with clean hydrogen will be key for achieving global net-zero targets. Hydrogen can provide a ‘cure-all’ solution to meet growing fuel and fertiliser needs; and provide a cost-competitive off-grid solution for electricity generation. However, hydrogen today first needs to be decarbonised as more than 99% is made from fossil-fuels. While efforts to make green hydrogen at scale using electrolysers and large-scale renewable sources are increasing, the greater challenge is getting low-cost hydrogen to the end-user. Transport and storage of hydrogen is complex and can more than triple the final cost of the hydrogen for the customer. Our solution simplifies this problem by safely producing low-cost hydrogen on-site and on-demand. Our robust biocatalyst solution is highly efficient at converting sugars into high-purity hydrogen from a wide variety of biomass sources. Compared to other renewable processes, our footprint of production is small; and we can make hydrogen 24-7 to fill the renewable energy gap.
Founders: Murad Mekhtiev, Abdelrahman Elborey and Sabina Zeynalova
Optomni is an Agtech company dedicated to digitalising the fresh & perishables supply chain with OmniOrder®, our AI driven trading & optimisation platform that helps growers and wholesalers reach more customers, streamline inventory & ordering processes and reduce waste through demand prediction and automated supply matching.
Our immediate value proposition is to reduce costly manual processes by digitalising ordering and inventory processes saving growers operational/labour expenses, and reduce waste through tighter inventory management. Our long-term value proposition is to provide them with another channel to market and discover new customers while providing them with full transparency and traceability, while also optimising supply and demand. In our marketing speak: Digitalise: Replace inefficient manual ordering and inventory management processes with our digital trading platform, OmniOrder® Automate fulfilment, back-end supply chain and order to invoice processes Optimise: Make better supply decisions by viewing market and price insights, while optimising inventory to reduce losses and downgrades due to overstocking and lost sales due to understocking.
Founders: Nick Stamatiou, Ivan Gustavino and Cedric Cross
Whole is bringing to market a proprietary technology that enables cost-effective and large-scale production of plant-based ingredients and flavours. What makes this technology so special is that it’s 100% free of any chemical processing, produces no waste, and unlocks all of the nutritional goodness of the original ingredients. Recognising that the shift toward plant-based foods is not just a fad, but a growing global movement driven by healthier eating and environmental responsibility, Whole is empowering food manufacturers to make better-tasting and more nutritious plant-based foods, while allowing them to stay cost competitive.