Ballymena-founded farmdrive secures £690k to scale agri-tech platform

farmdrive co-founders - Gareth Gordon, CTO, and Gareth McDonald, CEO

A fast-growing agri-tech company founded by two men from the Ballymena area has secured a major six-figure investment to accelerate its next phase of growth — with new jobs and export expansion firmly in its sights.

Antrim-based farmdrive has received £690,000 in equity funding through Techstart Ventures, part of Invest NI’s Access to Finance programme.

The investment will support the development of its livestock management platform, help grow sales in Britain, increase exports across Europe and create eight new roles.

The funding forms part of a wider £1.8 million investment package announced by Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald, with technology firms in Antrim, Derry and Belfast benefiting.

Built from family farm experience

Founded in 2023 by Ahoghill entrepreneur Gareth McDonald (CEO) and Portglenone native Gareth Gordon (CTO), farmdrive was inspired by their own experience of the heavy compliance burden facing farming families.

The platform is designed to simplify livestock record-keeping and regulatory paperwork for beef and dairy farms. Today, it serves more than 1,000 farms across the UK and Ireland, tracking over 150,000 cattle.

Farmers using the app report saving at least six hours per week on compliance and record-keeping tasks — time that would otherwise be spent navigating paperwork and regulatory processes.

Beyond the farm gate, farmdrive enterprise connects meat processors and retailers to real-time data, enabling full traceability, 12-month supply forecasting, medication monitoring and sustainability reporting.

Enterprise users, including ABP Linden and Foyle Meats, report saving more than 20 hours per week on supply-chain paperwork.

The latest investment will allow the company to strengthen its product offering and expand its footprint in Britain and European markets. Invest NI is also supporting the creation of eight new roles, including four software engineer posts, alongside a data scientist and a digital marketing manager.

Minister highlights role of start-up finance

Announcing the funding, Economy Minister Dr Archibald said:

“Access to finance for start-ups is crucial, and the Techstart Ventures fund is delivering essential support to early-stage tech companies so that they can accelerate innovation and growth in their business.

“It is excellent to see innovative businesses across the north already benefitting from the fund since its launch last year. I’m delighted to visit Optik AI to see how it has developed its software into a new cutting-edge AI platform to reach new markets, contributing towards our economic development.”

Techstart Ventures provides equity investment to innovative early-stage technology companies seeking to commercialise new ideas.

Steven Scullion, Director of Corporate Finance at Invest NI, said:

“Techstart Ventures provides equity investment to innovative early-stage technology companies seeking to commercialise their ideas. It’s great to see Optik AI, farmdrive and Foresight beginning to grow their businesses by investing in product development and R&D.

“Founders who have global ambitions and a need for investment monies can engage with Techstart Ventures to explore potential funding options for their business innovation journey.”

Part of wider £1.8m tech investment

Pictured are (L-R) Steven Scullion, Director of Corporate Finance at Invest NI, Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald and Ciaran Ryan, CEO at Optik AI at Optik’s offices at The Amp in Londonderry.

Alongside farmdrive, Optik AI Ltd in Londonderry received £600,000 to develop its human-assisted AI sales platform and expand into European and US markets, while Belfast-based Foresight secured £500,000 to accelerate development of its regulatory compliance software for chemical policy and increase exports to the US and Europe.

For farmdrive, however, the announcement represents more than funding. It signals growing confidence in Northern Ireland’s agri-tech sector — and in a locally founded company aiming to transform how farms manage compliance, traceability and supply-chain data in an increasingly regulated global market.

With new roles planned and export ambitions expanding, the Ballymena-area founders are now positioning their platform for its next stage of growth — rooted in local farming experience but scaling far beyond it.