Agri-tech startup lands fresh funding

An agri-tech company is set to expand its farming software following a significant investment round.

farmdrive has secured £1million in pre-seed funding to accelerate the global rollout of its livestock data and supply chain platform. 

The raise was led by TechStart Ventures and Ascension Ventures, with additional backing from Angel Invest, with bosses saying the funding will support new hires, product development and expansion across the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe.

Founded in 2023 by entrepreneurs Gareth McDonald and Gareth Gordon, farmdrive was created to reduce compliance and paperwork pressures on farms through simple, digital tools. 

Its platform is now used by more than 1000 beef and dairy farms across the UK and Ireland, tracking over 150,000 cattle and helping farmers cut administration time by at least six hours each week.

Gareth, a fourth-generation farmer and chief executive of farmdrive, said: “farmdrive was started on my own family farm to make everyday life easier for cattle farmers.

“We’re incredibly proud to see it being loved and trusted by thousands of farmers across the UK and Ireland.

“This £1 million investment lets us take our practical vision worldwide – giving farmers better data in their pocket and giving meat processors and retailers the transparency they need – from farm to shelf.”

Toyosi Ogedengbe, principal at Ascension, added: “Supply chain visibility is vital to informing production, establishing an audit trail, and building resilient food systems. 

“farmdrive is at the forefront of this transformation providing critical infrastructure to make this possible. 

“We’re pumped to back Gareth and Gareth – two farmers turned software engineers – who are bringing farming into the 21st century.”

Connor Murphy, partner at Angel Invest, added: “farmdrive’s early growth is striking. 

“Farmers are discovering the app, adopting it, and spreading it organically from farm to farm. 

“You almost never see this kind of viral growth in agriculture. 

“The team’s credibility and understanding of this multi-billion-pound market points to a category-defining company in the making. 

“That’s why we’re so excited to back Gareth and the team.”

Alongside its core app for farmers, farmdrive offers an enterprise platform used by major processors and retailers. 

The system provides real-time supply-chain visibility, full traceability, 12-month forecasting, medication monitoring and emerging sustainability reporting. 

Customers, including ABP Linden and Foyle Meats, report saving at least 20 hours a week on administrative tasks.

The funding follows a strong year for Farmdrive, which has collected several industry awards recognising its innovation and impact. 

Gareth, who is farmdrive’s chief technology officer, added: “As software engineers who grew up on farms, we’ve always had a very practical approach, and believe technology only matters if it truly helps farmers. 

“This investment means we can keep improving farmdrive – making it faster, smarter, and more useful – simplifying compliance for farmers and giving supply chains a live view right back to the farm gate.”

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