Ten Australian businesses developing new technologies for the horticulture sector have showcased their solutions in the City of Moreton Bay, with innovations spanning farm robotics, artificial intelligence, food processing and precision irrigation.
The businesses presented at the Australian-Grown Innovation Demo Day at North Lakes Hotel on September 17, bringing together founders, growers, industry leaders, investors and members of the innovation community.
Delivered by Startupbootcamp Australia in partnership with Hort Innovation and supported by the City of Moreton Bay, the program is designed to help founders develop practical solutions to challenges facing Australian horticulture.
The participating businesses included Australian Farm Robotics, which is developing robotic technology to automate high-risk banana processing, and Cavicam, which is working on precision irrigation technology using advanced plant sensors.
FarmCast is developing AI-powered weather and agricultural intelligence, while CForge is working on systems that convert unsold produce into energy and fertiliser.
Other participants are targeting commercial challenges including food sanitation, insurance, produce waste, freight costs and supply-chain transparency.
Lush Lychees is developing processing technology to turn cosmetically imperfect lychees into value-added products, while Melons Australia is working on mobile processing technology designed to reduce waste and freight costs for growers.
The cohort also included GasSan, Insurable, Real Food Price and Sunnybrae Farm.
Startupbootcamp Australia Program Director Anna Barlow said working directly with industry allowed founders to focus their development on practical problems facing growers.
“The strength of this program is bringing innovative founders together with the people who understand the challenges of horticulture firsthand. It gives these businesses the opportunity to test their ideas, learn from industry and develop solutions around real-world needs.”
Participants receive mentoring, workshops, industry engagement, testing and development support as they work towards commercially viable products and services.
For the City of Moreton Bay, hosting the Demo Day puts the region at the intersection of agricultural innovation, investment and commercialisation, while creating opportunities for businesses developing technology applicable to one of Australia’s major production industries.
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