Key Takeaways
- farmdrive has closed a £1 million pre-seed round led by TechStart Ventures and Ascension Ventures, with additional backing from Angel Invest.
- Funding will support product development, team expansion and rollout across the UK and Europe.
- More than 1,000 beef and dairy farms currently use farmdrive to track 150,000+ cattle and reduce compliance workloads.
- farmdrive enterprise provides processors and retailers with real-time supply-chain visibility, traceability and forecasting.
- Investors cite farmdrive’s rapid organic adoption and strong founder-market fit as indicators of long-term potential.
farmdrive Secures Funding to Accelerate Agricultural Data Innovation
farmdrive, a Northern Ireland-based startup focused on livestock data and supply-chain transparency, has raised £1 million in pre-seed funding to scale its platform across the UK, Europe and global markets. The round was led by TechStart Ventures and Ascension Ventures, with participation from Angel Invest and additional private backers.
Audrey Osbourne of TechStart described the company as “pursuing uncapped global opportunities in industries they understand deeply,” reaffirming support for the founders’ vision to make farm data more accessible and actionable.
Platform Adoption Grows Across Beef and Dairy Farms
Founded in 2023 by Gareth McDonald (CEO) and Gareth Gordon (CTO), farmdrive was developed to streamline compliance and record-keeping based on challenges experienced on their own family farms. Today, more than 1,000 farms across the UK and Ireland use the platform to manage over 150,000 cattle.
Farmers report saving at least six hours weekly on compliance tasks. The enterprise version, farmdrive enterprise, connects processors and retailers to supply-chain information including traceability data, 12-month forecasts, medication monitoring and sustainability reporting. Customers report saving more than 20 hours per week on paperwork and movement tracking.
Founders Highlight Practical, Farmer-Focused Innovation
McDonald emphasized that the platform was built to simplify daily life for farmers. “This £1m 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,” he said.
Gordon noted that the team’s experience as both farmers and engineers drives their product philosophy: “Technology only matters if it truly helps farmers.”
Strong Investor Confidence in Early Momentum
Investors highlighted farmdrive’s early traction, particularly its unusual rate of farmer-to-farmer organic adoption.
Toyosi Ogebengbe of Ascension said the platform is “providing critical infrastructure” for supply-chain visibility. Connor Murphy of Angel Invest added that the company shows “category-defining” potential due to rapid uptake and deep founder knowledge.
The team has also benefitted from local business development programs, including the NatWest Ulster Bank Accelerator and Founder Labs, which helped shape their early growth.
farmdrive Plans Team Expansion and Market Growth
Following multiple awards in 2025—including the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society Innovation Award and NI Tech Start-Up of the Year—farmdrive plans to expand its team over the next year. Hiring will focus on software engineering, data analysis, marketing, customer success and enterprise account management.
The new investment positions the company to scale its livestock management and supply-chain platform across broader markets, supporting a more transparent and efficient agricultural sector.
