'Croissants and Questions' business breakfast - Thursday 23 April 2026
‘AgTech 2026: Separating the Harvest from the Hype – trends, winners and losers’ – in April, ahead of informal networking, we are pleased to return to our guest speaker format.
After years of heavy capital and high valuations, 2026 has become the “Year of Reckoning” for AgTech. As the industry recalibrates, the gap between “zombie startups” and truly scalable solutions has never been wider. Guest speaker Luke Halsey, Strategic Advisor and Fractional Growth Lead, breaks down the current state of UK agricultural investment, identifying who is winning, who is losing, and why.
Luke will explore:
• The 2026 winners: Why “Physical AI,” field-proven robotics, and biologicals are securing capital while others stall
• The UK opportunity: How British innovators are leveraging international expansion and climate-resilience stacks to stay competitive
• Investor sentiment: What “smart money” is looking for right now - moving past AI-polished pitch decks toward capital efficiency, measurable farm-level impact, and clear paths to profitability
• Common pitfalls: Why “fit-for-farm” reality is often the biggest hurdle for tech-heavy solutions
This will be followed by an opportunity for Q&A, then informal networking.
About the speaker
Luke Halsey has over 15 years experience spanning innovation, investment and agricultural innovation. Luke developed Farm491’s strategy, helping build one of the UK’s leading rural and agritech clusters, and worked with UKRI and GFirst LEP to include agri-tech as part of the Industrial Strategy. He was most recently Partner at Silicon Valley fund AiiM Partners and is now focused on catalysing Gloucestershire as a globally competitive innovation leader.
Agenda
8.00 am – Arrival and refreshments
8.30 am – Welcome and guest speaker
9.00 am – Informal networking and refreshments
9.30 am – Depart at your leisure
A free of charge, business breakfast, all are welcome, especially those interested in strategic land management and the future of food and farming.
