Building for the Future: Founders, Farmers and the AgTech Frontier

A wrap-up of our latest TEKWOMEN Lunch & Learn

A Conversation Grounded in Place

There is a distinct energy that comes from bringing founders, farmers and advisors into one shared space. Our November Lunch & Learn unfolded as an honest, generous conversation about what AgTech looks like today, where it’s working, and what will matter most as we build for the future.

Very quickly, one theme rose to the surface: technology only succeeds when it respects place. You cannot design for agriculture in abstraction; you need to stand in the dust, the heat, the humidity, the shifting soil types and the lived patterns of decision-making. As Melissa Andrews reminded us, “Technology has to work where it lives. You cannot build for the paddock if you don’t spend time in the paddock.”

Across Australia’s varied landscapes, everything changes; weather, connectivity, workflows, labour rhythms. A tool that performs beautifully in inland Queensland might behave very differently in Far North humidity or coastal conditions. Our speakers agreed that tech founders need deep, consistent field time: not just observing, but truly absorbing how agriculture actually works on the ground.

What the Future of AgTech Is Really Asking For

Within that understanding, the conversation expanded to what’s emerging on the horizon. There was real excitement about practical, future-focused tools already making a difference; technology that helps farmers save water, improve profitability, reduce waste and make faster decisions supported by transparent AI. But beneath the innovation was a shared belief that the purpose of AgTech is not complexity, but clarity. As Keerah Steele put it, “Good tech should give farmers their time back.” The future belongs to tools that are interoperable, simple and genuinely useful technology that bends around agricultural life rather than forcing agriculture to bend around it.

Trust: The Quiet Engine of Adoption

Trust threaded through every part of the conversation, not as a slogan, but as a lived truth. Farmers adopt what works in the paddock, not what shines in a pitch deck. Advisors champion what genuinely eases their work and their clients’ work. And founders earn trust through honesty. Keerah captured this beautifully when she said, “Trust is slow, and it’s built in the field. People remember whether you showed up.” This grounded, transparent approach shared across Melissa, Keerah, Angie and Shona - underscored that adoption in agriculture is ultimately human. It moves at the speed of relationships, not product releases.

Wisdom from Angie and Shona: Innovation with Heart

The warm heart of the session came from Angie and Shona of FarmHER Hands, whose lived experience offered a powerful, practical counterbalance to the tech discussion. They spoke openly about building a business remotely while raising families, running a grazing operation and nurturing a creative venture in the pockets of time that life on the land allows. Shona shared, “Business out here doesn’t happen nine to five. It happens between school runs, cattle work, seasons and weather. You learn to build around the rhythm.” Angie added a perspective that resonated widely: “Technology should help us be on the land more, not at the desk more.” Their reflections reminded everyone that innovation is not just about systems, it’s about resilience, rhythm and the imaginative, grounded creativity that emerges from remote life. They affirmed that location is not a limitation: “You can build something meaningful from anywhere, if you have the right people around you,” Angie said.

The Collective Wisdom in the Room

Throughout the session, the TEKWOMEN community enriched the conversation with insights and lived experience. Many spoke about the value of simplicity, the need for technology that flexes rather than fractures, and the realisation that deep listening is a technical skill in itself. One reflection that floated through the chat captured the mood of the room: “If you want adoption, make the farmer the hero, not the software.” These contributions stitched the conversation together, turning the hour into a collective map of what meaningful AgTech could look like when built with humility, respect and curiosity.

Where We Go from Here

Taken together, the session painted a hopeful picture of an industry stepping into its next chapter. The future of AgTech will be shaped by:

• technology that respects and adapts to place

• founders who build with farmers, not for them

• tools that reduce stress and return time

• and communities that share knowledge generously

It is a future built through grounded, practical progress; water saved, hours returned, resilience strengthened and decisions made with greater confidence.

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To everyone who joined us live, thank you for your generosity and presence. And to those who couldn’t make it, we hope this recap brings you into the warmth of the conversation.

The AgTech frontier is being shaped by communities like this; thoughtful, courageous and committed to designing tools that truly work for agriculture. We are so glad you are part of it.

Stay tuned for the next lunch and learn in > > January< <