Kickstart for farmer founders

Solving problems in the paddock is second nature for farmers. But, spinning those ideas into successful businesses can be a stumbling block.

AgThentic consultant and co-founder of Farmers 2 Founders Sarah Nolet.

A NEW incubator program hopes to pave the road to start-up success for primary producers by helping build entrepreneurial and tech skills.

Created and run by Sarah Nolet (pictured) and Dr. Christine Pitt, the Farmers 2 Founders program starts with a one-day workshop. Then, primary producer entrepreneurs interested in scaling up a business idea can apply to take part in the extended eight-week incubator course, which steps people through solving industry issues, commercialising new technologies and bringing high-value products to market.

“The genesis behind developing this program was that in too many tech projects, solutions get built for ag but they are really getting pushed into the industry, rather than pulled,” said Sarah, an MIT-educated food systems expert. “To solve that, we’re bringing farmers into the centre of this process.”

Beef farmer and start-up founder Lachlan Campbell worked with Sarah to prepare his ProAgni start-up business to break into the US market.

“Investors find it very difficult to go out into regional Australia and pinpoint what might actually be a success and what might not,” he said. “Where Sarah comes in is being the facilitator.”

The next Farmers 2 Founders workshop runs this month at Bendigo.