Global AgTech Entrepreneurs, Investors, Corporate Executives and Government Leaders Gather in Sydney for SparkLabs Cultiv8 Demo Day
Announcement posted by SparkLabsCultiv8 09 Sep 2019
Event to showcase Australian, Saudi and US food and AgTech Start-up Innovation
Sydney, 9 September 2019 – More than 650 of Australia’s brightest agtech and food entrepreneurs, investors, corporate executives and government leaders will gather in Sydney tomorrow at the SparkLabs Cultiv8 Demo Day, an annual showcase for global innovation in the sector.
New products, services and business models developed by both Australian and overseas-based start-ups will be presented to attract investment and funding. Seven key start-ups who have been through the SparkLabs Cultiv8 Accelerator Program will highlight their vision and the impact their businesses are creating globally.
The companies receive an investment of up to $100,000 seed funding from the $10 million SparkLabs Cultiv8 fund, which brings the fund’s portfolio to 16 companies. The companies benefit from the resources of Asia’s largest accelerator group, SparkLabs and the NSW Department of Primary Industries with cohort participants able to access the space and resources of the Global AgTech Ecosystem (GATE) located in Orange, New South Wales.
The companies in the 2019 SparkLabs Cultiv8 cohort hail from Australia, the US and Saudi Arabia and follow in the footsteps of the first cohort of SparkLabs Cultiv8 companies which graduated last year and have since enjoyed spectacular success raising a total of $38 million since their inception, and now signing strong international sales and partnerships with leading companies.
This year’s companies participating in Demo Day include:
InnerPlant – the world’s first biosensor sentinel plant platform, developed by a US based startup, that senses plant changes at a molecular level, alerting farmers to allow instant action.
Oaesis – based in Saudi Arabia, Oaesis is developing laser-based lighting systems for indoor farming that dramatically improve efficiency and reduce energy and watering costs.
MPT – an Australia-based business using sensors located in specially designed farm equipment to measure moisture in soil, collecting data that can be used to optimise planting and yields.
SIPP – an Australian company changing the way we think about coffee. They’ve developed a unique range of functional beverages packaged in sustainable home compostable packaging with $1 from every pouch sold donated to Wildark, an organisation dedicated to making our planet more sustainable.
The Training Paddock –an Australian-developed online skills management system providing farmers with insights about workers’ skills, and steers and validates workers’ professional development.
Traive – initially being rolled out in Brazil, Traive is an online lending platform using artificial intelligence and big data to support new risk-reduced lending opportunities in agriculture.
Zetifi – an Australian company that has developed affordable solar powered on-farm WiFi overcoming mobile blackspots and helping to simplify and streamline farm management.
“SparkLabs Demo Day Our is a fantastic opportunity for innovators in the agtech and food sector to meet with potential investors and advisors and reinforce their strategies for success,” says Guy Hudson, Managing Director, SparkLabs Cultiv8. “With an increasingly complex and globalised food system, we need to look for sustainable solutions to increase production. Demo Day provides a forum for those leading in innovation to provide insight and knowledge into solutions to these pressing global challenges.”
This year’s Demo Day will also include a keynote panel discussion focused on Australian innovation and the transformation on how we create, distribute and consume food. The panel speakers include Pat Nourse, Creative Director of Food + Wine Victoria, Jock Zonfrillo, owner of Restaurant Orana and winner of the Good Food Guide’s Best Restaurant Award in 2018 and 2019, Dr Michele Allan, Chairperson of Meat and Livestock Australia, and Will Young, CEO and Founder of Campos Coffee followed by guest speaker Tom Bull, Managing Director of LAMBPRO and Winner of the Weekly Times Coles 2018 Farmer of the Year.
SparkLabs Demo Day will be held at the Sofitel Wentworth Sydney hotel.
For further information please visit: https://www.sparklabscultiv8demoday.com or: https://www.sparklabscultiv8.com
About SparkLabs Cultiv8
SparkLabs Cultiv8 (www.sparklabscultiv8.com) is a startup Ag and Food Tech Accelerator founded by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, and launched in partnership with the NSW Department of Primary Industries and SparkLabs, Asia’s largest accelerator group. The focus is on helping entrepreneurs to go global, working with startup companies from the Ag, Food and Sustainability Technology sectors. The mentorship-driven accelerator program is six months long and provides funding, office space, a tailored program and access to a top-tier network of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors and executives. The Accelerator program is supported by partners including Meat & Livestock Australia, MinterEllison, , KPMG, and the Global Accelerator Network (GAN).
ENDS
New products, services and business models developed by both Australian and overseas-based start-ups will be presented to attract investment and funding. Seven key start-ups who have been through the SparkLabs Cultiv8 Accelerator Program will highlight their vision and the impact their businesses are creating globally.
The companies receive an investment of up to $100,000 seed funding from the $10 million SparkLabs Cultiv8 fund, which brings the fund’s portfolio to 16 companies. The companies benefit from the resources of Asia’s largest accelerator group, SparkLabs and the NSW Department of Primary Industries with cohort participants able to access the space and resources of the Global AgTech Ecosystem (GATE) located in Orange, New South Wales.
The companies in the 2019 SparkLabs Cultiv8 cohort hail from Australia, the US and Saudi Arabia and follow in the footsteps of the first cohort of SparkLabs Cultiv8 companies which graduated last year and have since enjoyed spectacular success raising a total of $38 million since their inception, and now signing strong international sales and partnerships with leading companies.
This year’s companies participating in Demo Day include:
InnerPlant – the world’s first biosensor sentinel plant platform, developed by a US based startup, that senses plant changes at a molecular level, alerting farmers to allow instant action.
Oaesis – based in Saudi Arabia, Oaesis is developing laser-based lighting systems for indoor farming that dramatically improve efficiency and reduce energy and watering costs.
MPT – an Australia-based business using sensors located in specially designed farm equipment to measure moisture in soil, collecting data that can be used to optimise planting and yields.
SIPP – an Australian company changing the way we think about coffee. They’ve developed a unique range of functional beverages packaged in sustainable home compostable packaging with $1 from every pouch sold donated to Wildark, an organisation dedicated to making our planet more sustainable.
The Training Paddock –an Australian-developed online skills management system providing farmers with insights about workers’ skills, and steers and validates workers’ professional development.
Traive – initially being rolled out in Brazil, Traive is an online lending platform using artificial intelligence and big data to support new risk-reduced lending opportunities in agriculture.
Zetifi – an Australian company that has developed affordable solar powered on-farm WiFi overcoming mobile blackspots and helping to simplify and streamline farm management.
“SparkLabs Demo Day Our is a fantastic opportunity for innovators in the agtech and food sector to meet with potential investors and advisors and reinforce their strategies for success,” says Guy Hudson, Managing Director, SparkLabs Cultiv8. “With an increasingly complex and globalised food system, we need to look for sustainable solutions to increase production. Demo Day provides a forum for those leading in innovation to provide insight and knowledge into solutions to these pressing global challenges.”
This year’s Demo Day will also include a keynote panel discussion focused on Australian innovation and the transformation on how we create, distribute and consume food. The panel speakers include Pat Nourse, Creative Director of Food + Wine Victoria, Jock Zonfrillo, owner of Restaurant Orana and winner of the Good Food Guide’s Best Restaurant Award in 2018 and 2019, Dr Michele Allan, Chairperson of Meat and Livestock Australia, and Will Young, CEO and Founder of Campos Coffee followed by guest speaker Tom Bull, Managing Director of LAMBPRO and Winner of the Weekly Times Coles 2018 Farmer of the Year.
SparkLabs Demo Day will be held at the Sofitel Wentworth Sydney hotel.
For further information please visit: https://www.sparklabscultiv8demoday.com or: https://www.sparklabscultiv8.com
About SparkLabs Cultiv8
SparkLabs Cultiv8 (www.sparklabscultiv8.com) is a startup Ag and Food Tech Accelerator founded by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, and launched in partnership with the NSW Department of Primary Industries and SparkLabs, Asia’s largest accelerator group. The focus is on helping entrepreneurs to go global, working with startup companies from the Ag, Food and Sustainability Technology sectors. The mentorship-driven accelerator program is six months long and provides funding, office space, a tailored program and access to a top-tier network of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors and executives. The Accelerator program is supported by partners including Meat & Livestock Australia, MinterEllison, , KPMG, and the Global Accelerator Network (GAN).
ENDS