Agritech

Data has always been at the heart of business decision-making. Farmers, agricultural companies, agtech businesses, farming industry trade bodies, co-operatives, regional and NZ Government departments and others related to NZ agriculture recognise this imperative.

Arama Kukutai, co-founder and Partner at Finistere Ventures, will talk about the current global agritech investment landscape and how this will impact on agritech companies in New Zealand. Finistere Ventures published the '2019 Agrifood Technology Investment' in March 2020.

Callaghan Innovation are developing new initiatives to help support early stage businesses navigate what is a hugely challenging environment. Vic Crone, CEO and Simon Yarrow, GM Agritech, will share their thinking. This is a must watch for our start-up and early stage agritech entrepreneurs.

Dennis Donohue, Director of the Western Growers Technology & Innovation Center in Salinas, California, will talk about the work of Western Growers and some of the challenges that its members are facing. Western Growers members produce 50% of all fresh produce in North America. Can New Zealand agritech businesses help solve some of their significant challenges?

Claudia Roessler, World Wide Director, Agriculture, at Microsoft, will talk about why Microsoft are currently investing in agriculture, the role of Agritech, and how New Zealand agritech companies can engage (partner), with examples of work in the field

David Downs, NZ Government Agritech Industry Transformation Plan taskforce lead, will provide an update on the planned delivery of the Agritech ITP. This is a major initiative designed to support the growth and scaling of New Zealand's agritech sector.

Adrian Percy, former Global Head of R&D at Bayer CropScience, the world's largest agritech business, will talk about the role of major agri corporates, their interaction with emerging early stage companies and the impact on innovation.