AgriDigital has been selected in the latest cohort of Austrade’s Landing Pad program. The Landing Pad program supports market ready, high potential startups to ‘land and expand’ in major global innovation hubs around the world including Tel Aviv, Shanghai, Berlin, Singapore and San Francisco. AgriDigital will take part in the San Francisco based hub.
Emma Weston, co-founder and CEO of AgriDigital travelled to San Francisco this week as the 90-day intensive program kicked off.
“The support of the Landing Pad is incredibly valuable, particularly as we prepare to launch into the North American market in late 2018,” Ms Weston said.
“It is a fantastic opportunity for us to fully immerse ourselves and better understand the nuances of the local market, as well as build our business network in the US.”
In Australia, AgriDigital’s award-winning commodity management SaaS platform has a network of over 1500 active grain supply chain users with a broader network of over 4500 total users. As the platform continues to gain market share domestically, the next step is to expand into the North American grain market.
AgriDigital founders Bob McKay, Emma Weston and Ben Reid have a deep understanding of agricultural supply chains, having dedicated their careers to growing, trading, exporting and marketing grain product globally. The vision for the AgriDigital platform was — to streamline and simplify agri-supply chains for all participants; improve payment security for farmers, help traders access just-in-time forms of flexible finance, and promote food transparency for consumers.
The Landing Pad program provides residency in a coworking space, building a cohort community where members can share insights and collaborate on projects. Access to business services and introductions to potential investors and mentor networks also assist members to identify strategic partners and commercialise their international product offering.
“Austrade is committed to supporting truly innovative businesses and helping them grow and develop on a global scale,” Frances van Ruth, Acting Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner San Francisco said.
“Landing Pad hubs give these organisations a ‘step up’ in the global market with unprecedented access to services and networks that are not otherwise locally available.”
“We’re excited to kick off Cohort 7 of the program and to support AgriDigital and the other members as they take the next step in growing their businesses.”
The latest Landing Pad cohort commenced in May 2018, with members receiving 90 days of practical business support, advice and guidance.