BioScout YEAR INVESTED 2025 INVESTMENT THEME Adaptation and resilience Disruptive technologies Challenge Airborne fungal diseases are a major threat to global agriculture, causing an estimated US$80 billion in crop losses each year. For growers, the challenge is that the most effective time to apply fungicides is during the early, symptomless stage of infection—yet traditional detection…
The Australian-Grown Innovation 2025 Build phase is making significant strides in its mission to accelerate innovation across Australia’s horticulture and food sectors. Led by Hort Innovation Frontiers and powered by Startupbootcamp and Cluster Connect, the program brings together a dynamic cohort of companies, each tackling some of the industry’s most pressing challenges – from sustainability and supply chain transparency to biosecurity…
The Hort Innovation Venture Fund, Australia’s first horticulture-focused venture capital fund, has today made its inaugural investment, marking a landmark moment for the sector. Funding automated disease detection provider, BioScout, this investment signals a new era of support for transformative technologies that will shape the future of Australian horticulture. Launched in late 2024, the Hort…
The development of industry-led solutions for Australian horticulture is one step closer with the launch of the first Build phase of the Australian-Grown Innovation initiative – a program designed by Hort Innovation Frontiers to deliver real impact for Australian horticulture. Following the successful Incubate phase in July and August, the Build phase will see a…
Today the first cohort of Australian-Grown Innovation ‘Incubate’ participants was announced at a Hort Connections breakfast in Brisbane. This follows the launch of the program in March this year, which saw 72 participants from across the horticulture supply chain involved in engagement sessions held around the country. The ‘Incubate’ cohort, which is made up of 14 growers, will participate…
Mentoring to transform ideas into real solutions is one of the key offerings of a new program launched today by Hort Frontiers. The new program – Australian-Grown Innovation, developed in partnership with Startupbootcamp and Cluster Connect – is designed to drive innovation that will tackle the most pressing challenges in horticulture. Over the next five years, the…
As fruit, vegetable and nut growers face challenging economic conditions and a drop in consumption, grower-owned not-for-profit research and development company, Hort Innovation, today announced it will activate $60M of investment into early-stage startups to drive positive change. Through a partnership with Artesian, a leading alternative and impact investing firm, the new Hort Innovation Venture…