Key hire
CRDC appoints new Managing Director: Dr Georgina Pengilley
Australia's cotton research body CRDC has appointed Dr Georgina Pengilley as Managing Director from late July 2026, with Allan Williams stepping aside after 14 years.
Venture capital fund · 1 deal
Cotton Research and Development Corporation
Narrabri, NSW
Disclosed deals
Every published round Cotton Research and Development Corporation took part in, and every parcel of existing shares it bought off another holder. Deals we hold but haven't published yet are not counted.
| Company | Stage | Announced | Amount | Role | Alongside | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FluroSat | Seed | undated | $1m | Participant | Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Tenacious Ventures |
Portfolio
Companies Cotton Research and Development Corporation has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FluroSat | Helps farmers increase the yield of their crops using satellite imaging | Seed | 1 | 0 |
Funds
Fund closes reported for Cotton Research and Development Corporation, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Portfolio companies acquired
Companies Cotton Research and Development Corporation has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Cotton Research and Development Corporation did.
People
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Susan Maas | Senior Innovation Broker | Cotton Research and Development Corporation |
| Dr Ian Taylor | Executive Director | Cotton Research and Development Corporation |
Coverage
Stories naming Cotton Research and Development Corporation. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Grant
$6m
Floating solar panels on farm dams to save water, generate electricity
Ag Econ leads a research effort testing floating solar on farm water storages, backed by a $6 million federal grant, with CRDC and two universities as research partners.
Funding announcement
Cross-sectoral carbon accounting engine now live
CRDC announces the launch of Agricultural Innovation Australia's Environmental Accounting Platform, giving farm sectors a standardised way to measure carbon; nine rural research and development corporations invested in building it.
Funding announcement
Agtech accelerator Sparklabs Cultiv8 is backing 10 cleantech startups in a new program
SparkLabs Cultiv8 has picked ten cleantech startups for the first intake of its new accelerator, run from Orange with backing from Cultiv8 Funds Management and several agricultural research bodies.
Unnamed stage
$5.5m
Major partnership to deliver spray hazard warning system
Grains and cotton research bodies GRDC and CRDC announce a $5.5m, five-year partnership with agtech firm Goanna Ag to build a network of weather stations warning growers about hazardous spray conditions.
Unnamed stage
$1m
2017: the year agtech hit the mainstream
A year-end reflection on Australian agtech's 2017 rise, covering FluroSat's investment round, several startups' funding totals, SproutX's first accelerator cohort, Observant's acquisition, and the author's hopes for 2018.
Also Tenacious Ventures portfolio·Cotton Research and Development Corporation