grow^AG. contributor Judy Kennedy sat down with Arianna Sippel, Senior Manager, Customer and Growth, grow^AG., to explore how users can leverage grow^AG. to build their strategic network.  
 
With 10 years of experience in agribusiness and food innovation, Arianna has cultivated an extensive network within the ecosystem. Driving grow^AG. since its launch in April 2021, Arianna and her team has played a pivotal role in making introductions and connections between stakeholders.  

Judy Kennedy: How can grow^AG. help individuals navigate and make relevant connections within the agrifood and agritech ecosystem?  
 
Arianna Sippel:  grow^AG. allows you to amplify your search for partners or investors without having to bring it up in every conversation, every email. Being an online platform makes it accessible 365 days a week, 12 months a year regardless of time zone. There are around 16,000 newsletter subscribers and we’ve been averaging 9000 users a month from more than 200 countries. So, it’s a great platform to both seek and source collaboration but also to spark interest, boost deal flow and develop strategic conversations that can mature and grow your business opportunities. 

There are four key ways grow^AG. can help you build your network:

1. Search through our list of organisation profiles: this list is an index of expertise across the agritech food and innovation ecosystem. You can read about their organisation, click-through to their website, and even use our map view to see where their head office is in Australia (we are looking to extend this globally). This is a great tool for scouting the ecosystem.  
    
2. Look at the opportunities listed on the platform: send an enquiry if you want to know more. From here one of our engagement mangers will reach out to learn more about you. If there are connections to be made, we’re happy to make them. Where you don’t have an existing relationship, the grow^AG. site can help you to understand what people are looking for and provides some self-qualification – will they be interested in what you have to offer? You will better understand how to frame this when you reach out to them, which you can do on the site. 
    
3. Submit your own opportunity: outlining who and what you’re seeking to help you find the partners or capital you need to speed innovation and commercialisation.  
    
4. And if you’re wanting to know which research organisations have particular expertise and could be a source of graduates, or where industries are investing R&D funds – search our research project listings. 

Judy Kennedy: What type of connections does grow^AG. help users make? Who could I connect with?  

Arianna Sippel: grow^AG. attracts producers, innovators, researchers, decision makers and a range of investors.  
With such a variety of opportunities and users, there’s great potential to find and connect with individuals and groups that are relevant to you – whatever your stage of maturity and need.  
 
Innovators can find investors, research collaborators, potential distribution or integration partners and other groups who can assist with access into high value chains, here and around the world.  
 
Judy Kennedy: Why should users reach out to organisations through grow^AG.?  
 
Arianna Sippel: By reaching out through the grow^AG. platform we can gain an understanding of what you are looking for and might have other opportunities in development or other connections that could be a good fit for you too. 
 
You can also register for our user portal and use it to help you keep track of your enquiries, opportunities and organisations you are interested in, and to personalise the updates you would like to receive from grow^AG.. 

Judy Kennedy: Can grow^AG. facilitate global connections?  
 
Arianna Sippel: Absolutely. Being an online platform makes it accessible 365 days a week, 12 months a year regardless of time zone.  

Fifty per cent of our users are international and wanting to explore what’s happening here in Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere around the world. That includes consistent engagement from the US, India, New Zealand, the UK, Singapore, China, Germany, Canada, and Indonesia amongst other markets.  
 

And we’re sharing more and more opportunities from organisations outside Australia that are directly relevant for the Australian agriculture and the agrifood tech sector. Here in Australia we grow and produce such a wide variety of agricultural products and invest widely into innovation. We see the opportunity for collaboration is immense.    
 
For instance, we currently have several licencing and market entry pathway opportunities from US land-grant university K-State, licencing opportunities from New Zealand Crown Research Institute AgResearch, and a host of startups from around the world including Nanobubble. And you can find all these right alongside a host of Australian research, startup, investor an Australian opportunities.    
 
Judy Kennedy: How can users stay up to date with the latest opportunities that could enhance their network?  
 Arianna Sippel: Register for our new user portal and use it to help you keep track of your enquiries, opportunities and organisations you are interested in, and to personalise the updates you would like to receive from grow^AG.. 
 
Sign up to our newsletter! Every fortnight we email new and closing opportunities, and every second month we send you interesting news stories about opportunities, organisations or research listed on the grow^AG. platform.  
 
Alternatively, you can also search through the opportunities listed on the platform and reach out to us through the enquiry form.