AgriStart HARVEST2023 cohort has begun with a 2-day bootcamp

The cohort represents some of the best minds and innovation in the industry, from startups specialising in aeration control to automated monitoring of livestock health.

The two-day bootcamp at Muresk was a great opportunity for lucky recipients in the four-month program to network and collaborate with each other and guest speakers.

QL Space, a remote sensing Earth observation data company that combines high resolution satellite imagery, smart sensors, machine learning, AI and edge computing, is a startup that is looking to break into the agricultural sphere.

QL Space chief operating officer Ariane Platell said the bootcamp, which gave her an opportunity to bounce her ideas off people in agriculture, made her quickly realise how her product could be used in the field.

Her original ideas weren't as applicable as she would have hoped, but instead she's seen other ways to utilise satellite data in the agricultural world.

"The boot camp very quickly showed us that those ideas aren't going to work, but not in a defeating way, it gave clarity of vision," Ms Platell said.

"It's helped us become more streamlined in what we want to be offering."

READ MORE:

Mr Platell said she has undergone multiple accelerator programs for her startup, but this one was "by far the best" given the valuable face-to-face interaction it offered participants.

The course is valued at about $10,000, but the participants undertake the program for free.

The range of different speakers at the event included farmer and businessman Brad Jones from Tammin and Dr Manish Sinha from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Innovation Cluster founder and managing director Dr Natasha Teakle was particularly excited to get Singaporean delegates involved in the program, as it showcased the large reach of HARVEST and gave participants an opportunity to think about how their product could improve the agricultural sector beyond Western Australia.

The highlight of the two days for Dr Teakle was the fireside chat the cohort had with Agworld general manager Simon Foley, and said the opportunity to leave the city and be in a hub of learning wasn't lost on the group.

"It was really good for the businesses to be immersed on a working farm, the school of agtech surrounding them, and really just get away from the city," Dr Teakle said.

The bootcamp was the first time the participants had all been together under the same roof, and there was a "great vibe" in the room.

The startups range from people who have just been sparked with a brilliant idea, to those who have a bit of funding behind them already.

"There's a lot of opportunities for them to share with each other, learn from each other and I can really see potential collaborations between the cohort, which is always really exciting," she said.

After some field trips and masterclasses, the cohort will have a showcase event on Thursday, August 17.

Dr Teakle encouraged anyone interested in agtech to attend the event, as it was a great opportunity to showcase agriculture's future.

"We're really looking forward to that event - we want to get lots of growers there so they can look at the technology, touch and feel, and chat to the founders," she said.