HomeEducational ResourcesAgTech News Roundup – 20 February

AgTech News Roundup – 20 February

Feb 27 2025

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In this edition:

• Riverina-based company launches Smart Antenna for bull bars
• Is AgTech broken for Venture Capital?
• With an estimated value of $97m per year, will Australia legislate the Right to Repair? NFF members want to.
• Plus: Funding opportunities you may have missed

Making headlines in AgTech

Great Reception 

Traditional wisdom in antenna design says combining UHF and cellular antennas in a single unit isn’t feasible. ‘Hold my beer,’ said Wagga Wagga-based connectivity pioneer Zetifi. In a commercial-first, this UHF and Cellular (4G/5G) Smart Antenna for vehicle bull bars allows customers to run a single antenna for both their UHF CB radio and cellular devices. 

Listen to Zetifi founder and CEO, Dan Winson, on the first ever episode of the AgTech Finder podcast, discussing the importance of connectivity in Australia’s remote and regional centres.

New Award Honours ‘AgTech Trailblazer’

The Queensland Minister for Primary Industries has announced a new award in honour of the late Liz Alexander. Ms Alexander played a pivotal role in Australia’ agtech sector, serving on multiple boards including Cotton Australia, Plant Health Australia, and QRIDA. Future recipients of the award will be an outstanding leader in Queensland’s AgTech ecosystem.

Venture Capital Needs to Rethink AgTech

In the last Fortnightly Finder, we shared the news that agtech stock are among the least volatile on today’s share market. But things are trickier in the start-up space, according to Tenacious Ventures Co-Founder Sarah Nolet: Is AgTech Broken for Venture Capital – Or Are We Asking the Wrong Question?

‘”AgTech has characteristics that challenge the traditional VC model. Biological timelines don’t care about your funding runway, [and] scaling isn’t about adding servers or increasing ad spend; it’s about logistics, distribution, business model design, and navigating government policies,” Sarah Nolet, February 2025

Right to Repair Worth $97m a Year: 

The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) Right to Repair taskforce recently abandoned its MoU with the Tractor and Machinery Association of Australia. “Discussions were held in good faith, but ultimately ceased as NFF members chose to seek a legislative solution to protect producer rights.“

According to the Productivity Commission, the right to repair for agriculture could deliver $97m a year in extra GDP. With recent laws passing in Canada and other places around the world, will Australia follow suit? Or do the complexities of repairing digital products require authorised repairers? 

Funding Opportunities

Agri+Food Futures

This global accelerator program helps agtech companies seamlessly expand internationally. They’ve just announced Land X Launch New Zealand, a unique internationalisation program helping overseas AgTech startups land in New Zealand and launch globally. 

PropaGATE

Innovators with a solution to Western Australia’s Wastewater Treatment Challenge are invited to apply for the PropaGATE program. Applications close 28 February.

GrainInnovate

Established by the Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC) and managed by Artesian Venture Partners, GrainInnovate invests from seed to Series A/B in start-ups that can create solutions for Australian grain growers for a better tomorrow.