Program producing successful agtech business outcomes

The Agtech and Logistics Hub in Toowoomba, Qld, is delivering the program in conjunction with the GRDC.

The 2024 GRDC GroundUp program will support innovators to take their technologies to the next level and expressions of interest are now open. The program focuses on three key commodities: grains, pulses and oilseeds.

Now in its second year, GroundUp is a unique opportunity for innovators, with successful applicants mentored by farmers, growers and entrepreneurs who offer real-world experience and advice to help founders advance their technology.

Agtech and Logistics Hub director Thomas Hall said the accelerator was crucial given the importance of grain growers to the nation's economy.

"The grains industry is our largest agricultural sector, with more than 22,000 grain farms across the country," Mr Hall said.

"It's important for grain growers to have access to new technologies that can improve their environmental practices, while increasing productivity and profitability.

"Our GroundUp program has been designed to fast-track the development of innovation by partnering with industry, in this case GRDC.

"Last year's program accelerated some incredible technology, including advanced drones capable of locating pests and diseases bigger than five millimetres, and revolutionary spray technology from a company that has just signed an agreement to distribute to Australian and New Zealand growers.

"We look forward to seeing what this year's GroundUp innovators bring to the table and providing them with an opportunity to work with industry to advance their solutions for the grains sector."

Across the 12-week program, participants will benefit from sessions with key players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, including UQ Ventures, plus field demonstrations and access to co-working spaces.

Specifically, technologies underpinned by biotech or decision support are sought to innovate productivity, decision-making, and/or operations within the supply chain.

Participants will get to showcase their technologies at a Demo Day later this year in Toowoomba, which will attract key players from the grains sector.

What do you do when you have a great idea for a solution that would benefit your sector, but are living on a remote farm and have no idea where to start?

That's the situation Central Queensland producer Sarah Donovan was in before she joined the GRDC GroundUp accelerator program.

Now, a little more than a year after completing the program, she's about to trial her solution.

Cirquitive, an agrichemical traceability platform, was in the initial stages of development when Ms Donovan joined GroundUp.

Her goal was to help primary producers attain the highest level of agrichemical compliance and make record keeping easier, while also improving sustainability.

Through the accelerator program, Sarah learned important lessons and made vital connections to take her tech to the next level.

"There are certainly times throughout the journey of product development when you feel very overwhelmed," she said.

"But the beauty of these programs is you have people who are willing to give you guidance.

"Being part of GroundUp was so great because it was more than just learning through the process. It was also about the connections I made with the other participants and with industry, which helped advance my platform."

Cirquitive is a QR code-based platform that allows the traceability of agricultural and agvet chemicals, fertilisers and other farm inputs throughout the supply chain.

It enables farmers to better manage and maintain their agrichemical usage, inventory, compliance, audit, and the disposal of expired chemicals and empty containers.

The platform has a strong sustainability focus, tracing the containers through the supply chain from production through to recycling companies.

The Agtech and Logistics Hub team is now introducing Ms Donovan to agrichemical companies to discuss putting the QR codes on their containers and potential investment in the platform to improve sustainability in their industry.

She said the GroundUp program was suited to founders from all walks of life, including primary producers like herself who were quite isolated - both geographically and in terms of access to expertise and support.

"I would have been the least experienced founder in our GroundUp cohort, who were all so willing to share their experiences and knowledge with me," she said.

"I would like to think that people who are interested in this program, but are nervous about doing it, can look at me and go, 'if she can do it, then I can'.

"I'm an introvert and I don't like public speaking. So the biggest thing for me was to get up and do a presentation at the GroundUp demo day and give a pitch - it was terrifying but was a great opportunity to get my solution in front of potential investors.

"Once you do it, something shifts inside of you. For me, it wasn't even about getting funding that day, but the opportunity to pitch for the first time, and in an environment that was so warm and welcoming.

"To people in my position, particularly primary producers, who are not used to speaking in front of people, I just, I couldn't recommend GroundUp more, because of the people involved and how comfortable they made me feel."

When David McGrath of MagrowTec joined the Agtech and Logistics Hub's GRDC GroundUp program in 2022, he had a clear goal: to get MagrowTec's innovative spray technology in front of a wider audience.

Mr McGrath was impressed with the industry connections he made during the 12-week accelerator program, which ultimately led his company to recently sign a national distribution agreement with Croplands, a prominent spray equipment manufacturer.

"We had a great audience through the GroundUp program, and we accelerated our discussions, which eventually ended in a national distribution agreement being reached," Mr McGrath said.

"We are pretty excited because Croplands have 50 years' experience in the Australian and New Zealand markets with a large established network."

That network includes more than 170 dealerships across the TransTasman, significantly extending MagrowTec's reach to a wider array of growers.

MagrowTec, an agtech business that originated from Ireland, came to the GRDC GroundUp program with its device, designed to be retrofitted onto any boom sprayer, increasing the accuracy of the spraying operation.

During the 12-weeek GRDC GroundUp program, Mr McGrath gained valuable insights into the needs and wants of the region's farmers, and how his company could help solve their challenges.

Following the program, MagrowTec conducted in-field crop science studies to showcase the benefits of its magnetic assisted spray technology, namely the production of a higher quantity of appropriately sized droplets that result in enhanced foliage coverage, superior canopy penetration, improved water management, and reduced drift.

Users of the technology are now benefiting from improved crop protection and a more efficient spraying program.

"We have a contractor at Mount Gambier who estimates they've reduced drift by 60-70pc," he said.

Looking back, Mr McGrath said the GRDC GroundUp program had played a major role in MagrowTec's growth in the TransTasman.

"The program achieved 100 per cent of what I hoped from the exercise," he said.

"We had an established business and technology, so it was pure commercial growth that I was hoping to achieve.

"From my perspective, the reach of the program was the most impressive thing."

Innovators can apply at https://agtechlogisticshub.com.au/groundup/groundup-eoi/