Yesterday I had the privilege of attending the 2025 Harvest Agtech Innovation Showcase & Pitch Night organised by Innovation Cluster, an event that brought together founders, investors, researchers and policymakers shaping the future of agriculture and food innovation in Western Australia.
Matthew Macfarlane opened with stories of his own entrepreneurial journey, from competing with Facebook to his current non-executive roles with icetana AI, AgriFutures Australia, Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC), PetRescue Ltd and M15e Ventures. It set the tone for an evening about impact and resilience.
Natasha Teakle gave us an overview of the 2025 program and officially launched Agrispace, a new syndicate platform connecting hashtag#agtech startups with angel investors and growers. This could be an important step in solving the capital access challenge that has long held agtech back. If you are interested they provided two links:
– Founder EoI: https://tally.so/r/mDLBGX
– Investor EoI: https://tally.so/r/meVW9l
I also had the chance to hear from a fascinating group of startups:
- RC Sustain / ARCA Sustainability: translating complex climate science into actionable insights, with partnerships already in place with CSIRO and Wine Australia .
- Ornata Technologies: adding automation to tractors with remote troubleshooting and Starlink connectivity.
- Health & Spice: turning tigernuts into a gut-friendly plant milk alternative, with Curtin partnerships.
- R-Flow Exchange: an online marketplace to reduce agri-food waste by connecting sellers, buyers and recyclers.
- Agraro: rethinking tractor design with modular systems that could transform utilisation rates.
- UX Machines: automation and software innovations
- SnailCam: AI-powered pest detection, geo-locating snails to reduce bait use by up to 50%.
So what was the common theme I encountered amongst the founders?
Many of these founders began as engineers and have grown into entrepreneurs, taking their technical depth and applying it to building companies that tackle productivity, sustainability and resilience in agriculture.
It’s a reminder that the engineering mindset can be a powerful foundation for innovation when coupled with entrepreneurial drive. Thanks to the organisers and all the founders who shared their stories. Days like this make me optimistic about the role of innovation in building a resilient ag sector.
Thanks also to the sponsors Grains Research and Development Corporation, DPIRD, Wheatbelt Development Commission, Wrays | Intellectual Property and Radium Capital
