Putting Western Australian innovation in front of global investors
Since 2019 the Western Australian Government has supported more than 40 agtech founders to attend evokeAG. and it’s paying dividends.
by Emily Malone
Regional and rural journalist and communications professional
Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
View more contributions
“If you’re not on the cutting-edge you’re going to be behind within six months or a year,” said Simon Tarmo from Western Australia’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD).
As DPIRD Business Development Manager Agrifood-tech and TradeStart Advisor, Simon sees participation in AgriFutures’ evokeAG. as a key element in ensuring that WA’s agrifood sector stays on that cutting-edge.
“We invest in visit programs to important international events like evokeAG. because we see the many opportunities for ag-tech businesses and the wider agrifood sector that emerge when all of the key players in the industry come together.”
Western Australia (WA) is a leader in adaptive and sustainable farming technologies, with established companies investing in innovation and more than 100 startups and scaleups.
RELATED: A global invitation: Western Australia is “open for business
DPIRD has been a strategic partner of evokeAG. since its inception in 2019 and WA hosted evokeAG. 2024 in Perth, where the state’s agtech sector took centre stage.
Simon said it’s still reaping the benefits of being host state in 2024.
“Beyond our established agribusinesses that invested in the event individually, many with their own stands and promotions throughout the week, DPIRD’s project team helped deliver around 40 side events structured around the two main days of evokeAG,” he said.
“That helped bring together the wider ecosystem, not just agtech businesses and enablers, but all of the key players in WA’s primary industries, creating a unique environment for networking, collaboration and investment.”
Building capacity and creating opportunities for agtech
Even when held interstate, WA’s innovation in the primary industries has been on show at evokeAG. with DPIRD supporting the attendance of dozens of agritech startups and scaleups since 2019.
Simon describes it as an investment to build capacity for agtech entrepreneurs, while also helping them to make valuable market connections.
“There are real opportunities for businesses such as meeting an investor, selling products directly, or finding a new research partner; these are the types of outcome that we see coming out of evokeAG.,” he said.
Simon points to the success of WA startup Orijin Plus, a digital platform and traceability solution for the food and beverage industry. Utilising blockchain and QR codes on packaging, the platform provides traceability, product verification and the ability for brands to connect and share their story with consumers.
Orijin Plus was selected for Startup Alley at evokeAG. 2024 and founder James Williamson was a panelist in the session, ‘Radical transparency – rewiring the agrifood supply chain’ at evokeAG. 2025.
“It’s been great to see the evolution and success of a startup business that has participated in a range of DPIRD-supported programs, including the Harvest Accelerator program and trade delegations to Singapore,” said Simon.
Another WA business kicking goals at evokeAG. 2025 was Enclume robotics, a platform for autonomous data collection to reduce costs and time in plant breeding. The business won the judges award and audience choice at the International AgTech Pitch challenge, a key side event during the week of evokeAG.
“It’s a really good example of entrepreneurs that took advantage of that week, got in front of some investors and hopefully they’re still having conversations with some of the people they met that night,” said Simon.
He said the feedback from agtech companies that DPIRD has supported to attend evokeAG. has been “overwhelmingly” positive.
“In a one-to -five rating of how effective the event was for them, we get very close to five,” he said. “It’s seen as a very important activity in our annual cycle of events and capability building initiatives.”
Growing the international contingent will benefit entire Aussie agtech sector
DPIRD is focused on driving innovation and increasing technology adoption across the agrifood supply chain, with programs to build the capacity of the agtech ecosystem and attract investment.
“Western Australia tends to have a strong alignment with South East Asia, given our relative proximity to the region and shared timezone, and Singapore was represented very strongly at evokeAG. 2024 in Perth,” said Simon.
“Over on the east coast there’s can be a very different mix of internationals and it’s important to put our businesses in front of those people who might not have considered investing in Western Australia.”
He said an even larger international contingent at future evokeAG. editions will help drive development of the sector.
“That’s where the money is, offshore,” he said. “If evokeAG. can keep attracting the best investors down here, and hopefully grow that over time, it’s better for everyone in Australia’s agtech sector; engaging with the international community is crucial to future growth.”
Simon said evokeAG. has grown to become the “go-to agrifood innovation event” in the region.
evokeAG. 2025 event highlights
- 1957 attendees across two days
- 201 international delegates
- 69 investors
- 347 primary producer
- 134 speakers
- 19 plenary sessions
- 22 breakout sessions
“It’s in everyone’s interest that evokeAG. continues to be that central point of the year for Australia’s agtech ecosystem to come together and network,” he said.
“This is the only way to do it. There’s nothing like learning in a space where everyone’s in the same room, you can go out at night, you can go for breakfast in the morning, and you can organise meetings in the background.”
AgriFutures’ evokeAG. 2026 will bring together the leading minds in agriculture, food production, research, and investment for two days of bold discussions, immersive sessions, and groundbreaking ideas that promise to reshape the sector’s future.
Keen to be involved? Learn more about partnership opportunities here or contact the team via [email protected].
evokeᴬᴳ⋅ 2026 will be held on Tuesday 17 February and Wednesday 18 February 2026 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. evokeᴬᴳ⋅ is powered by AgriFutures Australia and funded by the Australian Government, Platinum Partner Elders and Host State Partner, Agriculture Victoria.
Tickets are now on sale at evokeag.com