The Hort Innovation Venture Fund, Australia’s first horticulture-focused venture capital fund, has today made its inaugural investment, marking a landmark moment for the sector. Funding automated disease detection provider, BioScout, this investment signals a new era of support for transformative technologies that will shape the future of Australian horticulture.  

Launched in late 2024, the Hort Innovation Venture Fund, delivered in partnership with Artesian Venture Partners, was created to accelerate innovation across the horticulture sector by investing in early-stage, high-growth startups.  

This investment in BioScout is backing cutting-edge solutions to revolutionise disease detection and management in horticulture crops. 

Brett Fifield, CEO of Hort Innovation, explained what this investment means for the industry: “This investment is about delivering real, on-the-ground benefits for growers. By supporting BioScout’s innovative disease monitoring technology, we’re helping growers access tools to make faster, data-driven decisions that protect crops and improve yields.” 

“We’re serious about backing technologies that solve real problems quickly for growers and are thrilled to have BioScout on board to do this. This is just one example of how Hort Innovation Frontiers – which our Venture Fund is funded by – is focusing on the accelerated deployment of research and development solutions to get them into the hands of growers faster.” 

Jane Parker, Agricultural Development Manager at McCormick Foods Australia spoke to her experience with BioScout and what this investment could mean for growers: “BioScout technology is developing as a key line of defence against fungal diseases. Further investment will facilitate the extension of the BioScout network to new geographies, increasing grower knowledge of spore behaviour and management.” 

Lewis Collins, CEO of BioScout shared his feelings on the investment: “We are very excited about this investment from Hort Innovation as it enables us to further develop and commercialise our world-first disease detection technology. With Hort Innovation's support we can now deliver even more value to our rapidly growing horticultural customer base and ultimately benefit the entire industry.” 

Jordan Jeffery, Investment Principal at Artesian added: “We’re particularly impressed with BioScout’s ability to integrate cutting-edge AI with practical hardware on-farm. Their platform doesn’t just detect disease in real time; it provides growers with the foresight to act before outbreaks escalate. This predictive capability is a game-changer for horticulture growers, regulators and the broader agricultural value chain."   

This milestone underscores the Fund’s strategic intent to accelerate innovation and deliver tangible benefits to growers nationwide. To read more about the Hort Innovation Venture Fund head to: https://www.frontiers.au/startups/