Led · Equity · Dec 2023

goFARM is an agricultural development firm jointly owned by managing director Liam Lenaghan and Costa Asset Management, the private investment arm of the Costa family. The firm creates investment vehicles to acquire and develop irrigation properties for horticulture. In this instance goFARM has put together a new vehicle to acquire and develop three irrigation properties in the Riverina region of New South Wales. Those properties are planned to be converted into high-yielding almond orchards. To fund the acquisitions and development goFARM is pursuing a $120 million equity raising that attracted the Costa family alongside other wealthy families and an institutional investor. Costa Asset Management’s involvement links the raise to the Costa family that founded the Costa Group.

Led · Series B · Sep 2017

SWIIM System develops a multi‑patented water accounting platform used to help growers account for and manage agricultural water budgets and protect water rights. Its core product combines water‑balance data with decision‑support tools and is being deployed throughout the western US. The company recently acquired Fresno‑based OnFarm Systems to add online data integration and dashboard capabilities and to simplify growers' data-driven decision making. SWIIM's technology was developed over a five‑year period with support from the USDA and several western land‑grant universities, and it was named a Top 25 Most Innovative Ag Tech Company by Forbes in 2017 and 2018. Management emphasizes expanding service to growers dealing with surface water and groundwater challenges, including SGMA compliance and Colorado River allocation issues. Proceeds from the recent financing will fund platform expansion and the OnFarm integration. SWIIM System provides a water management and auditing platform that integrates in-field equipment with regional remotely sensed data to produce daily consumption estimates, delivery reports, and comprehensive water-balance reports. The platform includes a planning toolset to help growers allocate limited agricultural water supplies for highest and best use. SWIIM was developed over a five-year period in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and regional land-grant universities and was recently ranked among Forbes' top 25 ag‑tech companies of 2017. The company has expanded its presence throughout the western United States and recently renewed a long-term development agreement with Western Growers Association. Management emphasizes providing actionable data at all levels for fresh, reclaimed, blended surface water and groundwater. The business recently closed a financing round and added strategic board members to support continued growth and execution. SWIIM System offers a comprehensive water and irrigation management system that gives farmers and irrigation districts a complete picture of water use across crops. Its software lets farmers create crop plans tailored to their land using an internal database compiled from public sources and user-entered data. The system uses a modeling algorithm co-developed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to identify where water is best used and where it can be conserved. SWIIM’s platform consolidates multiple aspects of water management rather than focusing on a single metric like soil moisture or irrigation efficiency. Led by CEO Kevin France and Chairman Ed Warner, the company intends to expand its market reach domestically and internationally using recently raised funds. The product targets both individual farmers and larger irrigation districts with configurable, data-driven water allocation planning.