AgTech Bootcamp seeds opportunities & connections
Delivered in partnership with Farmers2Founders, the FB IDEAs Hub recently hosted a one day AgTech bootcamp. The session brought together a diverse mix of innovators, entrepreneurs and professionals interested in moving into the field.
From the beginning, presenters Pete Walsh and Phil Doran from Farmers2Founders set the scene for an interactive session focused on knowledge exchange and networking. As Phil pointed out, “Agricutural problems are everyones problems”, and they represent a significant business and innovation opportunity.
Throughout the day, they guided the group through the challenges specific to agriculture and convened an understanding of the problem space and opportunities.
Unpacking the AgTech Opportunity
The day started with an overview of the Agtech opportunity. This was achieved by pointing towards complexities from deforestation, soil degradation, to implications of water trading and geopolitical aspects of food security. The session highlighted that agriculture is a volatile commercial venture with many influencing factors, not only reliant on environmental factors but also on stakeholders with no control on input and output prices. And highlighted a myriad of compounding problems needing urgent solutions.
The role of tech in agriculture, one of our biggest export industries, is critical. The applications are manifold, ranging from real-time soil moisture and microbial health assessments, to automation and - of outstanding importance - connectivity solutions that help farmers make better decisions, while FinAg is finding innovative solutions for financial hurdles. Participants learned how pilot and proof-of-concept trials are central to adoption, with trust-building, regulatory compliance, and co-development alongside users emphasised as key success factors.
Understanding Sector Specific Challenges
The dynamic presentation, with an engaged audience, delivered deep insights into the value chain from production through harvest and processing, to the consumer product. Interactive breakout sessions, where participants worked on specific innovation challenges, mixed with insightful experiences presented by the team of mentors, KaYi Ling Ph.D., Sam Turner and Luke Weekly. We heard how, by acting locally but thinking globally, venture capital can be accessed on a larger scale. The ongoing transition from family farms to corporate businesses was discussed, as well as different legal and compliance requirements for customers’ board sign off for new technologies.
Across the huge agricultural sector, from broad acre, horticulture, and high-value crops - AgTech is not only about providing enabling technologies, but also about connecting people, markets and technologies to create a sustainable future. Ultimately, ongoing innovation in AgTech is needed to address pressing agricultural challenges and strengthen one of Australia’s most important industries. Farmers2Founders showed how to enter this sector.
Rapid Ideation - learn by doing!
The last part of the day was a quick spring to explore AgTech ideas. Early on in the day, teams were built and faced with a real-world problem and the challenge how to solve it. After focussed work in groups with mentors jumping in and out to provide guidance and test ideas on the spot, the day closed with a pitch contest. Three ultra-short presentations of innovative solutions concluded a day full of great dynamics and industry learnings.
Get Involved in the Hub
We have a regular program of events and networking opportunities at the FB IDEAs Hub, and throughout Fishermans Bend. Subscribe to our monthly eNews to get updates!
You might also like to join the FB IDEAs Hub community. Located within walking distance of the future Fishermans Bend Innovation Precinct, the Hub is more than just a co-working space — it’s a community where the future is being actively built.
We offer free* co-working space (* subject to T&Cs) and the chance to be part of a growing start-up ecosystem working across cleantech, aerospace, renewables, regenerative architecture, placemaking, product design, circular economy, business consulting and much more.
Applications now open!
