The 40 agrifood tech startups to watch in 2023: evokeAG. announces its 2023 Startup Program participants
Addressing labour shortages; meeting the rising protein gap; and biosecurity solutions to safeguard Australian agriculture. These are some of the challenges and opportunities that are being tackled by 40 agrifood tech companies selected in the 2023 AgriFutures evokeAG. Startup Program.
Startups and scaleups from Australia, Canada, France, Israel, New Zealand and the United States of America will showcase their ideas, products and services to more than 1,500 delegates at AgriFutures evokeAG., Asia Pacific’s premier agrifood tech event, in Adelaide on 21-22 February 2023.
Comprising of three streams (Startup Alley, Startup Showcase and the Investor Pitch) the Program is designed to provide local and global agrifood tech startups and scaleups with a platform designed to demonstrate how technology and innovation is helping to address the global challenges our food system faces.
In the mix of successful Startup Alley companies, is the Gaia Project Australia. Focused on addressing the need for global food security, in space and back down to Earth, the Gaia Project’s innovative modular solutions for controlled environment farms use half the electricity and half the labour, to double leafy green yields at a reduced price.
Bühler, a Swiss multinational plant equipment manufacturer known for its services relating to food processing, has partnered with evokeAG. to bring Startup Alley to life at the 2023 event.
Dr Aparna Venkatesh, Collaborative Innovation Lead at Bühler in Southeast Asia and Oceania, said given Bühler’s focus on innovation and collaboration to address the challenges of a global market, there was natural alignment between the global technology brand and evokeAG.
“The global challenges that we face – the rising protein gap, natural resource management and climate change among others – are too big to solve alone.
“Bühler is committed to rising to the global challenge and we’re delighted to be partnering with evokeAG. on Startup Alley in Adelaide. This partnership, as well as the connections and partnerships that we help to facilitate, are a starting point to solve these big challenges. Together we can drive innovation that will make a real difference for the future of food and farm,” said Aparna.
AgriFutures Australia, Managing Director, John Harvey said given the current global forces, next year’s event and the Startup Program will play a crucial role in powering globally relevant conversations within the agrifood tech ecosystem, and showcasing potential solutions.
“Since evokeAG. 2020 we’ve lived through fires, floods, a pandemic, and international conflict. These events have highlighted the serious shortfalls in food security. There is an increasing sense of urgency around how we engage in global conversations, mitigate risks to our supply chain and challenge the conventions of what we grow, how we grow it and what we eat.
“The Startup Program will provide an impressive display of game-changing technologies and solutions for agriculture and our food system. The startups and scaleups will have the opportunity to connect with local and international customers, investors and potential partners,” said Mr Harvey.
One example is Startup Showcase and Startup Alley participant Beewise, an Israeli startup with the world’s first autonomous beehive.
Named one of Time Magazine’s best inventions of 2020, the autonomous beehive is available in the United Sates, and has enormous potential to help the Australian honey bee and pollination industry tackle the challenges it faces with the threat of varroa mite.
Another is pioneering French agricultural robotics company Naïo Technologies who will introduce evokeAG. delegates to its 100% electric, and autonomous robots Oz, Orio, Ted and Jo during the Startup Showcase and Startup Alley. Specialising in horticulture and viticulture, Naïo Technologies has more than 300 robots operating in more than 20 countries tackling labour shortages, reducing the strenuous physical workload on staff and limiting the use of chemicals.
The companies selected to participate in the Startup Program, and their respective streams, are detailed below.
Startup Alley
Startup Alley, powered by Bühler, returns to evokeAG. 2023 in Adelaide. With thanks to Bühler’s partnership, 40 businesses will showcase their innovations to all evokeAG. delegates in “The Hive” across the two days.
Startup Alley exhibitors:
- Agbot | QLD
- Agronomeye | NSW
- Bee Innovative | NSW
- BioScout | NSW
- Bondi Labs | VIC
- Cherrp | SA
- Demand Side Instruments | France
- Downforce Technologies | United Kingdom
- FarmLab | NSW
- Gaia Project | VIC
- GoMicro | SA
- Hillridge Technologies | NSW
- Leaf Agriculture | USA
- LLEAF | NSW
- Onside | New Zealand
- Optiweigh | NSW
- Pairtree Intelligence | NSW
- PostHarvest | NSW
- PPB Technology | ACT
- Rainstick | QLD
- Rubens Technologies | VIC
- SWAN Systems | WA
- TruckTracker | QLD
- UBI Meat | Canada
- VetChip | WA
- Whole. | WA
- Zetifi | NSW
- Zondii | NSW
The companies who have been successful in the Investor Pitch and Showcase streams will also exhibit in Startup Alley.
Startup Showcase
The evokeAG. Startup Showcase provides an opportunity for local and global startups to showcase their innovative products to the evokeAG. delegates. The Showcase seeks to help startups build their customer base and expand their networks in the Australian and global market. Each startup will present a three-minute showcase on the evokeAG. 2023 stage across the two-day event.
Successful startups for the Showcase:
- Athena IR Tech | Jay Holata | SA
- Beewise | Saar Safra | Israel
- CropX | Eitan Dan | New Zealand
- Deep Planet | David Carter | United Kingdom
- InvertiGro | Ben Lee | NSW
- Naïo Technologies | Julien Laffont | France
- Ripe Robotics | Hunter Jay | VIC
Investor Pitch
The Investor Pitch is a standalone event on the eve of evokeAG. 2023. The Investor only event will facilitate curated conversations and connections between international and local investors, and Australian and New Zealand companies. Startups will pitch directly to an investor only audience on Monday, 20 February 2023.
Successful Startups pitching:
- Eighth Day Foods | Roger Drew | VIC
- Geora | Bridie Ohlsson | NSW
- Lyro Robotics | Dr Nicole Robinson | QLD
- Nanobubble Agritech | Leon Power | New Zealand
- The Leaf Protein Company | Fern Ho | VIC
evokeAG. 2023 will took place in Adelaide, South Australia on 21-22 February 2023.