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CEA Technologies Founders Ian Croser AM and David Gaul Receive National Recognition with 2024 Pearcey Entrepreneur Award

Announcement posted by Pearcey Foundation 20 Nov 2024

Andrew Bate, co-founder and CEO of SwarmFarm Robotics, Receives 2024 Queensland ICT Entrepreneur Award

The Pearcey Foundation announced the recipients of its prestigious 2024 Queensland and National Entrepreneur Awards at a gala dinner held in Brisbane last night. Andrew Bate, co-founder and CEO of SwarmFarm Robotics, was announced as this year's recipient of the Queensland Pearcey ICT Entrepreneur Award. Selected from this year's State and Territory finalists, Ian Croser AM and David Gaul, founders of CEA Technologies, are the 2024 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award recipients.

The QLD award was presented to Andrew by Queensland's Minister for Customer Services and Open Data and Minister for Small and Family Business, the Hon. Steve Minnikin, and the national award to Ian and David by Professor Roy Green AM, CSIRO board member.

2024 Queensland Pearcey ICT Entrepreneur Award - Andrew Bate, co-founder and CEO of SwarmFarm Robotics

Andrew is an entrepreneur and visionary leader in the robotics industry and at the forefront of transforming agricultural practices. He has a passion for advancing technology underpinned by his deep understanding of both technical and agronomic dynamics. From his farming background and a curious mind Andrew's ability to merge visionary thinking with practical execution has garnered respect and admiration from peers and industry leaders alike.

Andrew founded SwarmFarm Robotics in 2012 with his wife Jocie, convinced that robotics could change the face of farming. In 2016, SwarmFarm released its SwarmBot3 platform to manage swarms of real robots out working on commercial farms in Australia.

Robotics in agriculture has risks because of scale and the challenge to change the long history of 'normal' agricultural processes. At a time when agriculture was largely untapped by robotic innovation, Andrew took a bold step to revolutionise the sector and ventured into uncharted territory, developing autonomous robotics systems that are set to redesign farming practices. This move was not without significant risk, as it involved considerable investment in unproven technology and challenging the status quo of traditional farming methods.

Andrew's readiness to challenge conventional practices and invest in innovative solutions has not only advanced SwarmFarm but has also set new benchmarks for the industry. From humble beginnings to a team of over 60 people, with over 100 robots and 200,000 hours of commercial operations, SwarmFarm is leading the world of autonomous agriculture.

Andrew has made a substantial and measurable impact on the environmental and agronomic systems. SwarmFarm's autonomous agricultural robots have significantly improved efficiency, precision, and sustainability in agriculture, addressing critical global challenges such as soil erosion and herbicide resistance, and have saved over 4 million litres of chemicals from the environment. SwarmFarm's technology has received international acclaim and has been recognised as a pioneering force in integrating robotics with agriculture. Andrew's achievements are not just limited to commercial success; they have also influenced industry standards and practices on a global scale. His work has garnered attention and accolades from around the world, underscoring the profound difference he has made in his field.

Andrew is also passionate about inspiring and supporting the next generation of innovators and building regional communities that promote STEM education and encouraging young people to pursue careers in technology, engineering and agriculture.

"Andrew embodies all the qualities we look for in a Pearcey Award recipient. He is an outstanding ICT professional who has demonstrated innovation, taken risks, made a difference and is an inspiration to others in the industry and the wider community.  He is a true trailblazer," said Paul Gampe, Queensland chair, Pearcey Foundation.

Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award 2024 - Ian Croser AM and David Gaul, founders of CEA Technologies

ACT Entrepreneur Award recipients Ian Croser AM and David Gaul, founders of CEA Technologies, were presented with the 2024 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award. Chosen from this year's State and Territory Pearcey Awardees (see list below), the national award gives prominence to one of the State Pearcey recipients for inspiring leadership, scale, impact, innovation and acclaim on the world stage. Over 40 years, Ian and David have grown CEA Technologies to become a critical defence industry supplier with over 600 staff across Australia and over $200 million in revenue. Today, the intellectual property and solutions built by CEA Technologies are Australian owned and controlled with a strong Australian-based supply chain. CEA products have more than 75% Australian industry content, an industry-leading figure.

"As in past years, the Pearcey State entrepreneurs are all impressive people who have taken risks, made a difference, and are an inspiration. After intense discussion, the Pearcey National Judging Committee selected Ian and David to represent this group as an example of what Australians can achieve on the world stage. Their phased array radar technology is world-leading and fitted to Royal Australian Navy warships. In 2023, the Federal Government partially nationalised CEA to protect crucial sovereignty in CEA's large-scale all-Australian innovation, R&D and manufacturing capabilities. Theirs is a truly remarkable story," said Rick Harvey, national judging coordinator, Pearcey Foundation.

For more information about previous QLD Pearcey Entrepreneur Award winners, go to https://pearcey.org.au/qld

2024 State and Territory Pearcey Entrepreneur Awards

ACT: Ian Croser AM and David Gaul, founders of CEA Technologies

NSW: Michael J. Biercuk, CEO and founder of Q-CTRL

QLD: Andrew Bate, co-founder and CEO of SwarmFarm Robotics

VIC: Chris Piastri, co-founder and CTO of HP Tuners

WA: Peter van der Made, founder of BrainChip

The Pearcey Foundation would like to acknowledge the support and sponsorship of Flight One, SodaData#3 and TechnologyOne, without whom the gala event would not have been able to take place.

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About the Pearcey Foundation
The Pearcey Foundation Inc. is a non-profit organisation established in 1998 to raise the profile of the Australian Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry and profession. It was created in the memory of one of the greatest pioneers of the Australian ICT industry, Dr Trevor Pearcey. By celebrating the heroes in our industry, past present and future, the Foundation is looking to attract and encourage young Australians into this most exciting of global high technology sectors of our nation.
Web: www.pearcey.org.au

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