Funding

Agtech robotics management platform SwarmFarm plants $12 million Series A

- February 15, 2023 3 MIN READ

Farming automation management startup SwarmFarm Robotics has raised $12 million in a Series A to address agriculture’s worker shortage. The round was led by Canadian agtech fund Emmertech, from Conexus Venture Capital, supported by Brisbane VC Tribe Global Ventures and South Australia’s Access Capital. Existing investors Tenacious Ventures and GrainInnovate, the Grains Research and Development Corporation… Read more »

Cows
Funding

Bill Gates, Twiggy Forrest back livestock emissions reduction startup Rumin8 in $17 million Seed top up

- January 23, 2023 2 MIN READ

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has made his first investment in an Australian startup, backing Perth-based climate tech venture Rumin8 in a US$12 million (A$17m) second phase of its Seed round. The raise was led by the Gates-founded VC firm Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV), with participation from fellow billionaires Andrew and Nicola Forrest via their agri-food… Read more »

Cattle at auction
Ag tech

Livestock facial recognition startup Stoktake wants to solve a $105 million problem

- January 13, 2023 2 MIN READ

Stock theft – more organised crime than Jolly Swagman – costs Australian farmers more than $100 million a year. But a Melbourne software startup is hoping to address rustling, and other problems with livestock identification with a unique facial recognition system for animals. Z Ware has developed cattle recognition technology, called Stoktake, to not only… Read more »

Funding

Telstra doubles down on Internet of Things agtech startup with $2 million investment

- December 8, 2022 < 1 MIN READ

Telsta has made its second agtech investment this week, after leading a $12 million round into farm communications startup Zenifi, also tipping $2 million in remote monitoring scale-up Farmbot Monitoring Solutions. The telco previously invested $1 million in October last year in Farmbot’s $2.7 million Series A. The startup had flagged a Series B in… Read more »

Zetifi founder Dan Winson
Funding

Wagga Wagga wi-fi startup Zetifi lands $12 million Series A with Telstra helping farmers connect

- December 7, 2022 2 MIN READ

A regional NSW startup that’s extending the range of wi-fi on farms has raised $12 million in a Series A. Telstra, and GrainCorp through is recently launched $30 million GrainCorp Ventures fund, led the round in Wagga Wagga-based Zetifi, with support from existing investors including Cultiv8 Funds Management, the Grains Research and Development Corporation’s (GRDC) GrainInnovate fund, and Artesian. The fresh… Read more »

Funding

Investible plants $500,000 in pre-Series A for Queensland agtech startup DataFarming

- November 7, 2022 2 MIN READ

Queensland agtech startup DataFarming has raised $500,000 in a pre-Series A round led by Sydney VC Investible. Cofounded in 2017 by serial entrepreneurs Tim and Peta Neale, DataFarming help unlock the value of farm data for agronomists and farmers. The business services more than 120,000 paddocks across 28,000 farming enterprises – 40% market penetration in… Read more »

farming greenhouse
Funding

Agtech startup Lleaf raises $3.5 million to grow better plants

- September 13, 2022 2 MIN READ

Sydney agtech startup Lleaf has raised $3.5 million in a bridging round for its light-emitting plastics for indoor agriculture. The round was led by Danish investment firms ALFA Ventures and 2 Degrees, with additional support from The University of New South Wales and deep tech hub Cicada Innovations, where Lleaf is based. 2 Degrees is the climate-focused… Read more »

Funding

Farmbot startup LYRO Robotics raises $1.5m pre-Series A to solve labour shortages

- August 1, 2022 2 MIN READ

Queensland startup LYRO Robotics has raised $1.5 million in a pre-Series A to help local farmers get their produce to market. The round was backed by several international and domestic investors, including Artesian/Boab AI and AgFunder joining original investor, Japan’s Toyo Kanetsu. LYRO has built the world’s first autonomous robot, which can pick up delicate fresh… Read more »

Ag tech

US agritech investor SVG lands in Australia with $50 million war chest for ANZ startups

- July 19, 2022 2 MIN READ

Silicon Valley agrifood innovation investor SVG is setting up shop in Melbourne with a $50 million fund to back local agtech startups. SVG will launch its $50 million THRIVE Australia Venture Fund to invest in Australia and New Zealand agtech startups. Victorian economic development minister Tim Pallas visited California on the weekend to meet with SVG… Read more »

Ag tech

Agtech startup GoMicro has built a $1 microscope to solve a $1 trillion food waste problem

- July 13, 2022 2 MIN READ

South Australian agtech startup GoMicro is hoping to tackle the $1 trillion problem with an app-based device that costs just $1 to produce and attaches to a smartphone. GoMicro CEO and founder Dr Sivam Krish has developed GoMicro’s Spotcheck App and a phone attachable magnifier designed for accurately assessing the level of ripeness or spoilage… Read more »