#Investment

With more applications than ever before, it’ll be a nail-biting, whip cracking, nerve wracking time when the 2024 evoke^AG. Pitch in the Paddock Competition fires up next month at Beef2024. Get to know the eight visionaries and innovators who will be going head-to-head in Rockhampton, Queensland.

A $60 million investment program designed to galvanise the research and adoption of agritech in regional farming areas has been launched by Charles Sturt University, Australia’s largest educator of agricultural students.

Collaboration and innovation are key to overcoming the challenges facing the world’s agricultural sectors. Eleven UK companies recently visited Australia with Innovate UK to create new connections at AgriFutures evoke^AG. on 20-21 February 2024 as part of an innovative program helping accelerate agritech solutions across the globe.

In a challenging market for venture capital, agrifood tech investors are not only looking for innovations that could change the world, they’re looking for the founders who can make change happen. That means resilience, creativity, and something that looks a bit like courage.
AgFunder Founding Partner Michael Dean and Olympia Yarger, Founder and CEO of maggot-powered food waste management startup, Goterra explore the funding challenges in this market. For both, the key to success comes from a passion to solve the problem – and a sheer inability to give up.

With all the ideas, money and power in the world, how does Australia use its exceptional edge to be a global leader in agricultural production and sustainability? Two leaders of the Australian agritech scene – Justin Webb and Olympia Yarger – share their thoughts in a colourful debate.

2023 was a very challenging year for the startup world. Across the board, the number of deals, speed of investment, valuations, and totals invested all saw a downturn. Uncertainty ran high. Conservatism pervaded. It was tough for investors and startups alike. Here Sarah Nolet, Managing Partner, Tenacious Ventures and speaker at evoke^AG. 2024 explores what startups need to scale in 2024, the paths to returns, and what the influx of international investors means for agrifood tech in Australia.

Investment in Australian agrifood tech remained relatively robust last year – even in the face of a global downturn. Now, local data for 2023 suggests it’s continuing to hold strong. Leading the way are upstream, climate-conscious innovations.

Plant breeders are in a race against time to deliver crop varieties that can survive more frequent, prolonged, and severe heat events. A new research project by The Agrifood Innovation Institute is helping plant breeders accelerate the development of heat tolerant wheat – and insure the global food system against climate-induced harvest failures.

Dubbed “food’s Erin Brockovich” by Bloomberg and the New York Times, Robyn O’Brien is a globally renowned speaker and author on food innovation and entrepreneurship. Here Robyn observes the challenges our big, bold innovators must overcome to design solutions that will shape the future of our food systems.

Billions of dollars and decades of experience in venture capital come together as five leading global investors talk agrifood tech – and their outlook is bright.
evoke^AG. 2023 set the scene for this high-powered discussion about what’s impacting agrifood tech investment.

Global investment in agrifood technology has steadily increased over the past decade or so. So, what’s driving this growth? Between decarbonisation, supply chains and innovation in the field (literally) big opportunities lay ahead.

At first glance, AgFunder’s Global AgriFoodTech Investment Report makes for pretty bleak reading, showing a 44 per cent drop in investment in the sector in 2022 compared to 2021. But beyond the headline figures, there’s a more nuanced story to tell – and looking forward, it’s not all bad news.