Global agtech collaboration brings soil innovation to New Zealand

Agnition Ventures, Ravensdown’s corporate venture arm, has teamed up with Singapore-based Agrifood Futures and Australian accelerator Farmers2Founders to launch Land x Launch™ – a new program designed to support and accelerate global AgTech startups as they enter and scale in the New Zealand agriculture market. 

The initiative connects international innovation with local farming needs, helping selected AgTech companies to tailor their solutions for Kiwi conditions, trial them with farmers, and potentially receive investment from Agnition. 

Why It Matters 

Soil health is central to farming, yet poor nutrient management continues to limit yields and drive-up costs. With most of our food relying on soil – and global degradation on the rise, smarter strategies are urgently needed. 

Despite the urgent need to improve farm productivity and sustainability through better soil management, many international AgTech solutions are not well-suited to the New Zealand context. This is due to New Zealand’s unique soil characteristics, such as higher acidity, greater porosity, elevated phosphorus levels, and volcanic ash content, as well as differences in farm size, operations, and crop types. As a result, international companies seeking to enter the NZ market often require support to tailor both their technology and business model to local conditions.  

The Land x Launch™ program helps these companies gain a deep understanding of New Zealand’s unique agricultural context and connect with key stakeholders, particularly farmers and growers, who are central to their success. Following this, Agnition’s Farm Innovation Network provides a pathway for these startups to pilot their technologies on real farms, enabling validation and refinement of their offerings before broader market rollout. 

Meet the 2025 Cohort! 

Five companies have joined the first round, each bringing a fresh take on soil and nutrient innovation: 

  • Solena (USA) – Uses AI to turn soil biology into actionable insights, helping farmers boost productivity and sustainability. 
  • Margins (Germany) – Combines geospatial data and agronomy to monitor sourcing regions and build resilient supply chains. 
  • M4Life (Argentina) – Offers a “bio-training” process that improves the performance of biological inputs like seed coatings. 
  • TierraSpec (Israel) – Delivers fast, affordable soil mapping and carbon insights using remote sensing and machine learning. 
  • Cooling Crops (Israel) – A sprayable solution that mimics nature’s heat defence, helping crops cope with rising temperatures. 

These startups will receive tailored support, access to pilot farm network, and potential investment to help them enter and scale in New Zealand. 

A Platform for Global Impact 

Jasper van Halder, CEO of Agnition, says: 

“New Zealand is a great proving ground for AgTech. This partnership helps us bring the best global solutions to our farmers.” 

Joshua Soo, Co-founder of Agrifood Futures, adds: 

“Kiwi farmers are quick to adopt smart practices. This program strengthens innovation across the region and gets tech where it’s needed most.” 

Looking Ahead 

The program was announced at EvokeAG in Brisbane earlier this year and is already drawing interest across the AgTech community. Founders keen to join future cohorts can reach out to Wilson Huang at Agnition, farmers who want to join the Farm Innovation Network can reach out to Christy Mead or register become a FIN member to keep up with any opportunities.