This article was originally published on FarmOnline National

A big part of this was the formation of the Global Agtech Ecosystem (GATE) initiative which is run in collaboration with the NSW Department of Primary Industries at Orange and is home of the SparkLabs Cultiv8 program.

The program fosters start-up agriculture and food technology companies, including creating opportunities for these companies to put their products and services in front of, and to network with, potential investors.

"A little stat about Orange and ag tech, so in the last 18 months in ag tech there's been more money raised and jobs created in ag tech in Orange than in any other town in Australia," said SparkLabs Cultiv8 co-founder Malcom Nutt during his welcome presentation during Wednesday's Showcase and Future Food Dinner at Banksia, Orange.

He said while SparkLabs Cultiv8 had supported 53 companies in the short time of the program, which had kicked off at GATE in 2018, what those at SparkLabs were most proud of was that 85 per cent of those companies were still in operation.

"They're part of the family and there's actually six of the companies that have gone through previous accelerators that are here today and we continue to help foster their growth,"

he said.

Wednesday's event, the Showcase and Future Food Dinner, was only the second of its kind held in Orange after last year's inaugural showcase - the afternoon featuring an on-stage business pitch to potential investors, followed by drinks and a dinner.

The Orange event is just one of several on the broader NASDAQ-listed SparkLabs Group's calendar, with accelerator hubs around the world, including Seoul, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, San Francisco, US, Saudi Arabia, "and of course, Orange", said Mr Nutt.

"We're proud to bring SparkLabs to Orange, but equally we're able to take SparkLabs to the world,"

he said.

Overall, 46pc of the SparkLabs' businesses were now trading overseas and 43pc of their companies were founded by females.

"When we started this program, it was all about helping Australian agriculture and trying to help our food system and environmental impact," Mr Nutt said.

The program has done this through establishing partnerships with investors throughout Australia, as well as offshore, to help these companies grow as they help them find opportunities and navigate new market landscapes.

"What's exciting about ag tech at the moment is more and more of these corporate institutions are realising their businesses are being disrupted and they need to navigate some of the hurdles within the sector, plus they've got some pretty ambitious net zero goals that if they don't engage agriculture and farmers then they're really not going to meet," he said.

Two years ago, Mr Nutt and fellow SparkLabs co-founder, Jonathon Quigley, also established Cultiv8 Funds Management, a venture capital fund investing in seed to series B stage ag tech companies globally.

"Our first six investments have been companies that have gone through the accelerator," he said.

He said it had so far been a phenomenal seven years watching the ag tech companies grow, but he was more excited about the seven years ahead, with support from government, researchers and universities, as they realised the role this could play for Australian agricultural and food technology.