Farmers2Founders accelerates its quest to scale agtech solutions

AirAgri, SkyKelpie, Drone Hand, Single Ag, People In Paddocks, Optiweigh and Bitwise Agronomy are just a handful of the household names that have benefitted from Farmers2Founders’ support in building high potential and scaleable tech businesses, and connecting them with their end users – Australian farmers. 
 
Not only does Farmers2Founders help local startups into global markets, it also provides opportunities for overseas agtech startups to enter Australia. Through its partnership with Innovate UK, Farmers2Founders has supported and fast-tracked 16 UK scale-ups into the Australian market so far. 

“Farmers2Founders is unique. No-one else in Australia offers a fully integrated venture creation and growth pathway, from bespoke 1:1 partnering to dedicated cohort sprints and everything in between,” Skye said. 
 
“We believe that investment and acceleration of innovation in the agtech sector will provide farmers with the tools they need to create the transformative change that’s required for long-term sustainability. 
 
“Our goal is also to increase the flow of talent and diversity into the sector via a number of initiatives that we believe will contribute to the ongoing success of the industry, such as our dedicated female-led startup initiatives and regional entrepreneurs.” 
 
Farmers2Founders is a female-led company with a staff of 18. Skye and her mother, F2F founder and Managing Director, Dr Christine Pitt, are not surprised about the trajectory their company has taken since its inception. 
 
“We’ve built a startup pathway specifically for agtech that shows a deep understanding of the journey taken as a founder. I think it’s critical to showcase that there are many career pathways into the sector, into agtech, and startups/entrepreneurship,” Skye said. 

 
The Farmers2Foundation process follows a series of steps titled Explore, Grow, Scale and Studio, from the inaugural Concept, a self-paced online program for aspiring agtech entrepreneurs to refine their concept.  
 
The process then moves to Pre-accelerator, a hybrid 12-week program for early agtech startups; and Accelerator, a four-month accelerator program for established agtech companies looking to scale into national and international markets that matches founders with mentors, advisors, customers and potential investors. 
 
The final step is Venture Growth, a customised 1:1 approach for exceptional agtech companies working directly with the senior advisory team at Farmers2Founders. 
 
The company collaborates with farmers, local and global agritech startups and entrepreneurs, corporate businesses, industry, researchers and governments, via two core business pillars – TEKLAB, focused on venture creation and growth, and TEKFARM, which accelerates adoption of agritech solutions on farm. 
 
TEKFARM is a grant recipient of the Federal Government’s Future Drought Fund, focusing on the extension and adoption of drought resilient farming practices. With collaboration partners, Skye Raward said F2F can deliver a step-change in the adoption of drought resilience technologies, by making agtech more approachable, practical and globally connected. 

Unpredictable weather patterns and shifting consumer demands in the grains industry have prompted Farmers2Founders latest opportunity, launched through AgriFutures growAG., to accelerate agtech startups in the grains industry. 
 
“Farmers2Founders has partnered with the Grains Research & Development Corporation since our inception to support the creation, growth and scale of technology startups who are purpose-driven and looking to solve critical challenges within the grains sector, for grain growers,” said Skye. 
 
“The industry is renowned for its high-quality produce and extensive global reach but it requires more than traditional farming methods to sustain it – it needs a diverse array of agtech solutions to help tackle complex issues. 
 
“Our upcoming Pre-accelerator program will help grains-focused agtech startups with a prototype or MVP, launch their go-to-market strategy, test product-market fit, establish business foundations, validate customers, seek investors, and expand their networks.” 
 
Skye said growAG. has been instrumental in enabling Farmers2Founders reach a local and global audience in the agtech industry.   
 
“growAG. has been a great catalyst in connecting players across the agrifood ecosystem and has supported F2F to showcase many of our initiatives on the platform to a broad audience,” she said. 

In May 2024 Farmers2Founders launched its first state-based accelerator programs in Queensland, in partnership with the Queensland Venture Capital Development Fund.  
 
It was the only agtech specialist out of the five accelerator programs to receive VCDF funding, and will roll out pre-accelerator and accelerator programs for 40 participants over the next two years. 
 
But it’s not a case of only supporting local startups. Farmers2Founders has done a significant amount of work in launching the Gateway to Australia program in partnership with GROW and Innovate UK, to encourage and support the ‘best of the best’ British entrepreneurs to scale their businesses in Australia. 
 
Gateway to Australia provides targeted support to UK scaleups by helping them validate their fit for the Australian market and developing a roadmap to establish their in-market presence. The five-month program gives each team access to the Farmers2Founders networks, expert 1:1 coaches, structured webinars, masterclasses and more, and includes two in-market visits. 

While many would be daunted by the challenge of maintaining momentum in a rapidly changing industry, Skye Raward and her team relish the prospect of contributing to the growth, prosperity and sustainability of Australia’s agrifood industry. 
 
“We are working in one of the most exciting industries that has huge opportunities as well as huge challenges to be solved, and being a startup and supporting startups gives us a unique understanding of the many highs and lows of being a startup founder,” she said.  
 
“We’re passionate about playing our part in having a positive impact on the food system of the future – one that is healthy for humans, animals and the planet. That’s what gets us out of bed in the morning, to keep driving forward and building a business that we truly believe in!”