A new platform promising to revolutionise early-stage investment in agriculture has launched in WA — and it’s already backing one of the State’s rising agtech stars.
In a climate where startup funding is harder to come by, AgriStart has launched AgriSpace, a national investment platform aimed at connecting early-stage agricultural ventures with angel investors, grower capital, and syndicates.
The platform has gone live with its first investment opportunity — a $650,000 raise for WA-based livestock startup Agora Livestock, a well-known business founded by Kojonup-born Rob Kelly.
The WA-based livestock marketplace and price discovery platform has steadily grown its national user base since it was launched in 2018.
It plans to use its investment to expand its trade desk operations and forward contract offering, backed by increased demand from livestock buyers and sellers seeking transparent and independent pricing.
More than $300,000 had been raised for Agora Livestock at the time of going to press on Tuesday, August 25.
But AgriStart managing director Tash Teakle said she believed AgriSpace would offer a timely solution — especially for agtech start ups often overlooked by traditional investors.
“We’ve worked with agtech startups for nearly a decade and one of the consistent challenges is access to capital,” she said.
“AgriSpace will help founders tap into a broader investor base — particularly regional investors who know the space and want to be part of shaping the future of agriculture.”
Ms Teakle said startup capital had become increasingly difficult to secure in 2025, with angel investors — a private group of accredited investors who pool their capital to jointly invest in startups — hesitant to write large cheques and venture capital funds.
AgriStart has spent nearly a decade working with agricultural innovators across the country, and Ms Teakle herself is a seasoned angel investor involved in South West Angels and two active syndicates.
She said platforms like AgriSpace were critical to unlocking regional investment and encouraging broader participation in agtech.
The platform is designed to let investors — including first timers — contribute smaller amounts through syndicates, meaning startups can attract capital without relying on one or two big backers.
This model has already gained traction in WA, with recent syndicates launched by Curtin (formerly WTF), Plus 8 and VentureX.
Mr Kelly said the platform offered much-needed flexibility in a tight capital market.
His business is honing its focus on the local trade ahead of the Federal Government’s plan to ban live sheep exports by May 2028, and recently bolstered its east coast presence with the appointment of industry veteran Dean Hubbard.
“Raising capital is really hard — especially when the people who understand the problem you’re solving aren’t typical angel investors,” Mr Kelly said.
“AgriSpace gives us the chance to let those people — farmers, agents, livestock buyers — invest in the platform they already use, without needing to write big cheques. It also gives confidence to other investors who can follow their lead.
“In a way, the farmer is doing the due diligence instead of a VC fund.
“We’ve always believed that having 100 farmers, agents and buyers each investing $5000 is more powerful than a single cheque for $500,000. It builds a user-led company — where investors are also the people shaping the platform.”
AgriSpace is being developed in partnership with GXE and fellow WA tech company raise, which provides the platform’s startup tools — including templates for pitch decks, deal rooms, and investor communications.
It also includes educational content aimed at helping growers understand the risks and opportunities of early-stage investment.
