Recent news and media releases

Ten horticulture innovators selected for Australian-Grown Innovation Build Program

Hort Innovation Frontiers, in partnership with Startupbootcamp, is pleased to announce the ten innovators selected for the upcoming Australian-Grown Innovation Build Program. The Build Program marks the next stage of the Australian-Grown Innovation pathway, supporting promising solutions to move from concept development into practical testing with industry. Across the program, participants will work with growers,…

Australian-Grown Innovation’s Incubate cohort of 2026

We’re excited to announce Australian-Grown Innovation’s first Incubate cohort of 2026! 🌱 These innovative participants will go through a 6-week program designed to bridge the gap between a great horticultural idea and a market-ready solution. Interested in learning about how the program can help your business grow? Register here: https://luma.com/australiangrowninnovation

PlasmaLeap funding shows appetite for safeguarding fertiliser supply

PlasmaLeap Technologies, the Australian company pioneering zero-emissions production of ammonia and nitric acid, said its recent A$30 million ($21 million) fundraising shows strong support for technology that can safeguard fertiliser supply from leading Australian agribusinesses and industry organisations. The Series A round attracted investment from Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), Hort Innovation, and GrainCorp…

Hort Innovation Venture Fund backs second investment

Agovor, a New Zealand founded horticultural robotics company, has closed a pre-seed funding round, raising AU$3 million. The round has been led by Tenacious Ventures with co-investment coming from Hort Innovation Australia via the Hort Innovation Investment Fund, managed by Artesian, and from an individual investor via the Active Investor Plus (AIP) scheme facilitated by Invest New Zealand.…

Australian-Grown Innovation 2025 Build phase: Mid-program update

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…

Hort Innovation Venture Fund announces first investment

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…

Ten Australian innovators selected to solve industry challenges

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…

Inaugural Australian-Grown Innovation ‘Incubate’ cohort named at Hort Connections

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…

Matt Mansfield and Symone Young from Mansfield Nursery Victoria holding plants

Program launched to unlock grower solutions for Australia’s biggest horticulture challenges

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…

Brett Fifield CEO Hort Innovation speaking at Hort Connections

Call for start-ups to help Australian farmers curb costs

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…