Thanks 2023, that's a wrap!

As part of the evokeAg conference being held in Perth, a tour to the southwest of WA will provide a unique opportunity to showcase talent to interstate and international investors. This tour will connect Agtech start-ups to investors, in an immersive tour of the beautiful Margaret River wine region.

Depart Perth 9am Sunday 18th February
Tours of innovative and sustainable agtech businesses
Opportunity for sightseeing and enjoying the southwest region
A networking dinner with South West Angels at the end of the spectacular Busselton Jetty
Stay at the brand new Hilton Garden Inn overlooking stunning Geographe Bay
A Strategic Investment workshop
Return to Perth by 4.30pm Monday 19th February

*Limited Discounted places are available for producers and startups! Please contact us at info@innovationcluster.com.au or complete the Expression of Interest here.

Tour Highlights:

Aquafarms (Capel): Aquafarms Australia farms various types of fish specialising in Marron, a freshwater crayfish endemic to Southwest Australia. Aquafarms is a solar powered facility including state of the art hatchery and supplies over 90 farmers across Western Australia to produce over 60 tonnes of ultra premium marron to food businesses domestically and internationally. They also manufacture their high quality marron and fish feed, and have almost completed construction of an international and national tourism and education destination. With demand of marron outweighing supply and sustainable farming practices in place for this groundbreaking, complex operation there are plenty of exciting opportunities ahead.

Rocky Ridge Brewing Co (Jindong): Rocky Ridge’s aim is simple, to make good beer, using the best local produce, farmed in the best way, with the least environmental impact. Rocky Ridge is Australia’s first Certified Sustainable & Carbon Neutral Brewery and WA’s largest beer exporter into the south east Asian market. Committed to Net Zero emissions from brewing process by 2025, their brewing facility is 100% off grid, and features a CO2 recapture plant, solar and new battery system, hybrid vehicles, responsible packaging, a biodigester, waste water recycling, and first-to-market carbon neutral 100% traceable malt.

Fremantle Seaweed: The seaweed solution to climate change. Harnessing the pristine waters of Western Australia, Fremantle Seaweed is cultivating local seaweed varieties for a trial farm south of Gage Roads. The goal is to produce high quality seaweed for food, fertilizer, animal feed and cosmetics whilst simultaneously protecting the environment through carbon sequestration, balancing ocean acidity and providing a habitat for all types of marine life.

Young aspiring entrepreneurs gathered at the Busselton Youth Activities Building last Monday to kickstart their exciting business ventures as part of the launch of the new Future Founders youth scholarship program, now open to City of Busselton residents aged 16 to 25.

The session introduced the ambitious innovators to business concepts through fun activities involving teamwork and a mindset of design thinking. They discovered the importance of the customer’s perspective and the power of partnering and collaborating for business success.

The Future Founders scholarship program will help young entrepreneurs at all stages of their business journey by offering 10 scholarships, including $5,000 worth of cutting-edge training, a $1,000 completion bursary for business costs or professional development, expert guidance and hands-on experiences.

Expression of Interest applications for Future Founders are open until 22 January 2024.

Thank you to our new sponsors Plico. Plico is rewriting Australia’s energy future, disrupting the WA energy market and creating positive change. Plico have environmentally focused challenges for young people if applicants do not already have an idea for a business.

Future Founders is also proudly supported by the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation; City of Busselton; South West Angels; South West Development Commission; and Rio Tinto.

The Innovation Cluster team were excited to see the generous spirit and sage advice of our Managing Director Tash Teakle recognised at the recent Startup News Awards presentation at Freo Startup Fest as part of West Tech Fest.
Tash was announced as Most Admired Startup Supporter!
Thank you to Startup News - if you dont follow them already you really should! Click here to find out about their 2024 plans including more podcasts, new Founder stories series, plus exciting ways they will take WA startups to a national audience.