Ag-tech start-up’s Omni-System designed to increase yields and reduce costs
Gaia Project Australia (GPA), a Melbourne-based ag-tech start-up, has secured A$1mn in funding from the La Trobe University Eagle Fund.
The company’s flagship product, the Omni-System, was developed in collaboration with La Trobe researchers from the School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (SCEMS) and the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment (SABE).
Patented in 49 countries, the Omni-System is designed to help leafy green vegetable growers increase yields by up to 40 per cent using real-time dynamic plant spacing.
GPA chief executive Nadun Hennayaka said: “We have seen first-hand in Australia and abroad the impact of the rising cost of fresh produce during a cost-of-living crisis.
“Our mission is to provide growers with the latest, easily adoptable, cost-efficient technology for sustainable success, by delivering consistent, predictable, highly efficient yields. Ultimately, sustainable and profitable growers lead to a steady supply of affordable, fresh produce for consumers.
Omni-Yield is now being prepared for deployment, with projects underway in Australia, India and Sri Lanka, and market partnerships being established in Europe and the US. In addition, grower demonstration sites in Australia and India, developed in partnership with CSIRO, will launch later this year. The company is gearing up for a hard launch in spring 2025.
Eagle Fund, which was officially launched on 27 March, was established in 2023 between La Trobe and Breakthrough Victoria (BV), as part of BV’s $100 million University Innovation Platform.
