Robots and ag food additives, precision irrigation and recycled food waste are all being promoted by Aussie start-ups selected to take part in a global mentoring program run by Rabobank.
Five Australian companies will join entrepreneurs from around the world in a mentoring and showcase program run by Rabobank.
The companies are among 45 from 14 countries and from a field of 340 applicants to be invited to take part in the FoodBytes! Virtual Pitch 2020 program.
Each of the 45 start-ups will participate in two weeks of virtual mentorship programming and one-on-one meetings with corporate leaders and investors, in addition to pitching their solutions to Rabobank and 17 corporate and investor members.
Of this group, 15 finalists will be chosen to participate in FoodBytes!’ live-streamed pitch competition December 2 for a chance to win one of three $10,000 and consultative prizes.
Rabobank Australia head of innovation, knowledge and networks Nathalie Gibson says the selected Australian startups were a testament to local talent.
“These companies are pioneering the future of food and agri and will showcase their ideas and Australia on the global stage,” she says.
The shortlisted Australian start-ups are:
- Food tech business Carapac (NSW) – which uses discarded crustacean shells to produce a durable, home-compostable alternative to plastic packaging
- Field robotics company Agerris (NSW) – which is commercialising autonomous, solar-powered farming robots for weeding and spraying crops
- SWAN Systems (WA) – a precision irrigation and fertiliser platform to help growers precisely schedule, monitor and report on water and nutrient consumption to improve economic and environmental outcomes
- ProAgni (NSW) – makers of antibiotic-free nutrition products for sheep and cattle that delivers a 20 per cent improvement in feed conversion
- I Am Grounded (Queensland) – which buys discarded coffee fruit to turn into snack bars.
Each of the companies has had some form of success already to date – with Agerris receiving $6.5 million to help commercialise its robotics platforms, intelligent automated tools and artificial intelligence (AI) last year.
Check out more about Agerris’s capital raising here
Swan Systems signed a collaboration agreement with Telstra Services to work together on the development of a farm management platform, with Swan’s software to provide precision irrigation management suggestions.
ProAgni won Beef Australia’s Pitch in the Paddock 2018, before winning a Global Edison Foundation Award for innovation this year, while at the smaller end of the scale, I Am Grounded rebranded from the Coffee Fruit Bar after a successful Kickstarter campaign.