Farmers2Founders program links farmers to agtech providers

Eight businesses have been selected to partake in the Farmers2Founders (F2F) Business Growth Bootcamp. The bootcamp will allow primary producers to access resources and mentoring via a three-month innovation program designed to further their commercial opportunities.

F2F was established by Sarah Nolet and Dr Christine Pitt after the co-founders saw a gap between the agriculture and tech communities and wanted to solve the problem.

“Innovation in agriculture comes in many forms. We’re thrilled to announce the selection of these incredibly dynamic and worthy regional teams. We were inundated with applicants and believe we’ve chosen the businesses who will most benefit from this opportunity that will allow them to flourish,” Dr Pitt said.

Businesses from Tasmania, NSW and Queensland were selected for the bootcamp:

1. Synchronicity Farm in Nana Glen, NSW, connects farmers and growers with consumers who want access to food directly from a farm.
2. QCamel in Queensland is an ethically and organically farmed camel milk producer, producing a range of camel milk food products, including a botanical skincare range.
3. Garlicious Grown in Braidwood, NSW, produces black garlic products, including powders, pastes and oils.
4. VineRunner by Bitwise in Tasmania is a software product for grape growers to view, compare and analyse footage from their vineyard over time.
5. Farm Service Manager from Walgett, NSW, is an app for farmers to manage their machinery service records in one place.
6. Training Paddock, based in Trangie, NSW, is a digital platform for agricultural workers to document their skills, auto-create résumés and connect with employers.
7. FarmSimple, from Moree, NSW, is an app for cropping operations to manage their business, allowing farms to be more efficient and improve productivity.
8. Outback Lamb in Tullamore, NSW, is the final business participating in the bootcamp, for its single origin, pasture raised and finished lamb and its value-added product — lamb sausage rolls.

Fiona Turner from Bitwise Agronomy runs a ‘smart vineyard’ in Tasmania and has built a software, AI and robotics product for fellow grape-growers.

“We’re so excited to see where the bootcamp will take us. F2F is one of the few programs that really works with the producer from the ground up to scale regional businesses. The commercialisation expertise offered by the coaches and access to experts on raising capital, PR insight and tech management advice, I believe, will give us the skills to take our products to the next level,” Turner said.

F2F is supported by AgriFutures Australia, Australian Wool Innovation, Grains Research and Development Corporation, Meat & Livestock Australia and Wine Australia.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/only_kim