Beyond the Back Paddock - AgriTech & AgBiotech Showcase Event

Ali Alomari is the co-founder and CEO of Cropsy Technologies, a New Zealand agritech company developing AI-powered imaging technology for vineyards. With a background in computer systems engineering, Ali and Cropsy's team work alongside growers and industry partners to develop practical solutions for vineyard management.

Amos is the CEO and co-founder of biotech future food company Miruku. With a background in agritech, food ingredient innovation and business development, he is passionate about the potential of biotechnology to enable healthy, sustainable and resilient food systems. Amos is a board member of the food rescue charity Just Zilch and an advisor on several biotechnology projects.

Brendan O’Connell is Chief Executive of AgriTech New Zealand, the independent membership body connecting innovators, investors and sector stakeholders across the agritech ecosystem. He works to strengthen the conditions for sustainable growth and international engagement from Aotearoa New Zealand.

He has held senior executive roles spanning technical, commercial and product leadership across NZ, Australia, the UK, Europe and the US. Brendan focuses on practical connection, bringing founders, investors and partners together, and providing context that helps businesses make informed growth decisions.

Dan grew up on a family sheep and beef farm in the west Waikato hill country. After working in several industries including horticulture, education, geospatial information and pastural farming, Dan eventually got interested in Artificial Intelligence and studied this part time for several years. Dans company Scanabull was created to optimise the goals of working with mates, occasionally getting outside during the workday, and solving an interesting problem with AI. Scanabull weighs animals with 3D images. Dan lives in Raglan and tries to surf.

Irina Miller is Co-founder and CEO of Daisy Lab, a New Zealand precision fermentation company developing dairy-identical proteins, with a current focus on lactoferrin. With a background spanning strategy, organisational effectiveness and bioinformatics, Irina has led Daisy Lab from early-stage R&D through pilot-scale manufacturing, commercial partnerships and regulatory preparation, while building relationships across the global dairy and biotechnology sectors.

Jane Brice is a senior banking leader with experience spanning rural, business and commercial banking. Throughout her career she has worked alongside Kiwi farmers, business owners and entrepreneurs, helping them navigate growth and access capital. At Kiwibank, Jane leads Business Banking’s growth team, focusing on innovative banking solutions and partnerships that help ambitious Kiwi businesses grow, scale and succeed.

Jeremy Bryant has a PhD in genetics and farm systems from Massey University and has spent 15+ years in agritech through roles at DairyNZ, Farmax and AgResearch, including the development of the Forage Value Index, National Genetic Evaluation system for dairy cattle, Grazing Heat Load Index and Farmax Dairy.

Jeremy saw a gap in the market for an easy-to-use AI driven pasture measurement and management solution for farmers and founded Aimer Farming in 2021.

Jonathan is the Cofounder and CEO of Scentian Bio, combining synthetic biology and AI to digitize smell and taste. Inspired by the remarkable chemosensory abilities of insects, Scentian Bio is developing digital smell-sensors that unlock chemical information in real-time.

Jonathan has previously held senior leadership roles at Fonterra and T&G Global and as Chief Digital Officer at Auckland Airport. Jonathan studied as a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford where he wrote his thesis on innovation theory. He has since dedicated his career to unlocking innovation. While living in San Francisco, Jonathan cofounded 1000memories, a startup backed by Y-Combinator and Greylock before exiting to Ancestry.com.

Ruth Leary leads Strategy and Engagement at AgriZeroNZ, a public–private partnership between the New Zealand government and agribusiness investing in technologies to help farmers reduce livestock emissions. Raised on a sheep, beef, and deer farm in the South Island, Ruth combines practical farming insight with senior leadership experience across agribusiness and food innovation. She also contributes at board level within the agri-tech sector. Ruth holds postgraduate science qualifications, an MBA from Otago University, is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors, and has a Diploma in Brewing. Passionate about sustainability and driving value from agriculture, she works to ensure farmers have access to practical, profitable solutions that deliver climate goals and strengthen the sector’s future.

Sheryl Tan joined Northington Partners/Cultivate Ventures in February 2026, supporting advisory and investment execution across research, diligence, and transaction processes. Her previous experience in the early-stage investment space spans across the health, food, and climate sectors. Sheryl brings a strong analytical background from prior research roles in Europe and New Zealand to early‑stage investment decision‑making.

Warren is the Chief Investment Officer at Sprout. He leads the Investment Team in making investment decisions and often represents Sprout on the Boards of portfolio companies.

From 2013 to 2019, Warren was the CEO of BioLumic, a New Zealand-based AgBiotech startup that controls key plant traits through the power of ultraviolet light in the seed and the seedling. He led BioLumic from pre-Seed through Series A, raising over $12m in funding.

Warren has key skills in the creation and development of business opportunities. Since 2004 he has founded, and worked in and with startups across a range of industries. Prior to working in startups, Warren worked for New Zealand’s largest multinational company with marketing and sales roles in Chile and Argentina.

Warren has a B.Com (Hons) in Marketing from Otago University. He is fluent in Spanish.

Wilson is the Investment Principal at Agnition Ventures, the corporate venture investment arm of Ravensdown, a New Zealand farmer-owned co-operative. He leads Agnition’s investment function, sourcing, assessing and investing in New Zealand and international agtech companies while also providing ongoing strategic support to portfolio companies.

Beyond investment, Wilson works closely with Agnition’s Farm Innovation Network (FIN), a network of more than 350 progressive New Zealand farmers who trial and adopt new agtech solutions at an early stage.