Inaugural Initiate Event: 3 Takeaways That Hit Home

What happens when agri-tech steps out of the field and into a converted industrial space in Birmingham? You get ‘Initiate’ — a new kind of event from the UK Agri-Tech Centre, hosted at The Compound.

Wendy Hewitson kicked off the day by inviting us to think differently. With few schöffels in sight and even fewer tractor talks, she encouraged us to move beyond “ag thinking,” embrace innovation in all its forms, and — most importantly — talk to as many people as possible.

As an early-stage founder, in the thick of building, I found real value in the morning’s conversation series - Seed, Germinate, Fertilise - hearing from founders a few steps ahead of me helped me reframe the challenges we’re facing at Oko.

Then the afternoon workshop created space to work through real business issues with peers —

collective thinking in full throttle. 

Here are three takeaways that hit home:

1. Agri and Funding Timelines Are Out of Sync

Agriculture is seasonal — funding isn’t. That disconnect makes real-world testing and rapid traction harder than it should be.

2. Co-Design Isn’t Just a Buzzword

Building with users is critical, but early farmer feedback can be hard to get. Tips? Offer clear value, respect and reward people’s time, and tap into networks like Agri-Tech E, WIFF, or farm clusters to build trust.

3. Think Long-Term with Pilots

One-month pilots won't cut it. Aim for one year to create room to test, iterate, and adapt. Define success metrics early, get stakeholder buy-in, and plan ahead for “what comes next” if it works.

These points really resonated with us at Oko (we’re building an AI tool to simplify agri-funding). After prototyping our SFI 2024 AI chat assistant this spring, farmers and advisors told us they loved it — but wanted more.

Now, we’re deciding what to build next for winter planning. Here are the options:

• Finder Tool – a searchable hub for public and private agri-funding

• Planner Tool– map-based tool to check eligibility, stack funding, and draft applications

• Management Tool – checklists, reminders, and evidence tracking in one place

👉 Take our quick survey to help us choose. 

You could win a box of wine — and get one month free access to the tool we build.

Let’s build something that works for you.

Written by Women In Food and Farming Network member Alexandra Simmons, Founder of Oko Ag.