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A young agritech entrepreneur from Angus has bagged £10,000 to help him achieve his goal of giving farmers more control over their compliance Requirements.

Tom Porter, of Carnoustie, was presented with the regional EDGE Award – part of a Scotland-wide scheme supporting young entrepreneurs – at a ceremony in Dundee.

It comes just weeks after the 24-year-old launched his downloadable app AgriAudit.

The technology is designed to help ease the audit burden on UK farmers and growers.

By minimising the time spent searching for, printing and uploading documents, AgriAudit eliminates duplication throughout the audit process.

Users can prepare for their audits from a central dashboard, and there is a tracker to monitor progress towards each one.

The idea took off after Tom was given responsibility for audits on the family farm.

He quickly realised how complex, demanding and time-consuming the task can be.

His app is suitable for growers in all areas of agriculture, including fruit and vegetable production.

Among 12 regional EDGE finalists, AgriAudit and Dundee-based Konglomerate Games were each awarded £10,000.  The funding recognises their potential to make a significant impact in their respective industries.

Tom is a student in the MDS graduate scheme, a leadership development programme designed for university leavers with leadership potential.

He said: “Winning this regional EDGE award is a huge milestone for AgriAudit.

“This support will allow us to refine our platform and reach more farmers, ensuring they ahve the tools they need to manage audits with confidence.”

Tom’s dad, James, produces soft fruit as well as potatoes, barley, wheat and beans at East Scryne Farm.

The regional EDGE (Dundee and Angus) competition is backed by business support group Elevator.

Welcoming guests at the ceremony, held at the headquarters of DC Thomson, was Elevator chief executive-designate Rachel Ross who highlighted the importance of supporting ambitious, high-growth businesses in the region.

Her sentiments were echoed by her fellow competition judges, Scott Mathieson, Mary Ballantyne and David Romilly, who had the challenging task of selecting the winners.

This article appeared in The Courier on 5 March 2025.