Member Spotlight on Innovation Cluster
Innovation Cluster is Western Australia’s agtech and sustainable industries specialist, bringing together founders, researchers, investors and industry to develop practical solutions for long-term regional success.
Proudly based in the Southwest region of WA, we are passionate about supporting innovators and early-stage businesses to access the connections and resources they need to grow. Our support spans the full innovation journey – from cultivating early ideas through training, mentoring, business strategy, grant writing and investment attraction, to delivering programs across regional innovation, agrifood, strategy and commercialisation, and entrepreneurship facilitation. We connect startups, researchers, investors, government and industry to foster meaningful collaboration, and we provide workspaces – including our vibrant coworking and training facility in Vasse where founders, businesses and industry partners can connect, work and build.
For 10 years, we have designed, facilitated and coordinated business incubator programs, investment groups, strategy sessions and hackathons, supporting hundreds of startups and creating both lasting value and sustainable impact.
Much of the support we provide is tangible, but the intangible is equally as important. Particularly in regional areas, informal mentoring, championing and simply checking in are day-to-day activities that can make a real difference to a founder’s journey. Fundamentally, we are focused on enabling transformative innovation to succeed in regional Western Australia, empowering innovators from vision to venture.
HARVEST Agtech Accelerator Program
HARVEST is WA’s leading business development program for startups and SMEs looking to innovate in the agrifood and agtech industries. Over eight years, the program has supported more than 80 graduates, delivering meaningful connections to partners, customers and investors. It is free to successful applicants and in 2026 will provide a $5000 bursary to regional participants.
We are extremely proud of what HARVEST has become – a program that offers genuine agricultural sector immersion and deep industry exposure to fast-track real-world impact for agtech innovators.
Applications are now open for the 2026 program, which will include a two-day bootcamp, masterclasses, a field trip, and a showcase and pitch night. Interstate/international market immersions will also be provided for select HARVEST cohort and alumni. We look forward to supporting the next cohort and to continuing to grow our HARVEST alumni network, which itself is an important and tangible part of WA’s support infrastructure for future sector growth.
On 29 April we are hosting earlyHARVEST, a one-day pre-accelerator program for early-stage innovators in the agtech and agrifood space. Held in the Perth CBD and facilitated by Dr Tash Teakle and Wrays IP experts, the session provides an invaluable introduction to the wider HARVEST program, along with practical tools, networks and commercial insight to help participants move their ventures forward with confidence. Tickets are free and available via the Innovation Cluster website.
Part of WA’s Broader Life Sciences Story
Agtech sits firmly within the life sciences sector, and we are proud to support and champion it in that context. We were thrilled to play a part in last month’s BioInnovation Festival and to shine a light on the opportunities that exist in regional WA. The technologies, supply chains and research pipelines across agrifood and sustainable industries overlap with the broader life sciences sector in ways that create powerful opportunities for collaboration and that is a space we intend to continue growing into.
We are also active in investor development across WA, working alongside South West Angels and contributing to investment readiness programs that help regional founders better understand and access capital markets. We have also recently launched AgriSpace, a new platform connecting agtech ventures to investors/growers and supported by syndicate structure.
Looking Ahead
We are committed to deepening our partnerships across WA’s innovation and life sciences community, and to developing programs that reflect the evolving needs of innovators in our region. The challenges facing regional agriculture including the often-cited issues with capital access are significant, but so too are the opportunities. WA is well-positioned to be a global leader in agrifood and sustainable industries innovation, and we look forward to continuing to play an active role in making that happen.
If you are a researcher, founder, investor or organisation interested in connecting with our work, we would love to hear from you. To learn more about Innovation Cluster and our current programs, visit innovationcluster.com.au