Onside has acquired Assura, bringing together two Christchurch-founded software businesses to expand its operational intelligence platform for agriculture.
The deal has added Assura's configurable workflow software to Onside's existing platform for contractor management, biosecurity, health and safety, and quality assurance.
Onside’s technology has allowed agribusinesses to keep their finger on the pulse of the most critical parts of their operations, helping workers stay safe and get their jobs done, manage biosecurity risks to protect farms from pests and disease, and meet the requirements needed to access the market.
Onside said the acquisition will help agricultural businesses connect operational data across the agriculture ecosystem, giving them better visibility of risk, informed decision-making and an easier way to manage compliance. It will also strengthen its ability to serve customers ranging from producers and service providers through to larger multi-site enterprises and processors globally.
Together, the combined business will support more than 60,000 users across six countries, including New Zealand, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Fiji.
Onside has grown rapidly over the past 12 months, with annual recurring revenue more than doubling, significantly strengthening the company’s scale and platform for continued international growth.
It has recently entered its next phase of growth and begun a capital-raising process to support its expansion and accelerate investment in its people, technology and international markets.
Ryan Higgs, co-founder and CEO of Onside, said the acquisition answered mounting pressure on agricultural businesses to manage compliance and risk across increasingly complex operations.
"Agribusinesses shouldn't need five different systems to know what's happening across their own operations. Together with Assura, we can give them one view, from who's coming through the farm gate to the compliance work that keeps them in market,” said Higgs.
Hamish Howard, CEO of Assura, added that the two businesses were well aligned in both product and market focus.
"We've built Assura around solving operational problems in a way that reflects how customers need to work. Joining Onside gives us the opportunity to build on that foundation and deliver more value to agriculture customers at a larger scale," he said.
"The businesses are complementary, the teams know the sector well, and there is a shared commitment to building software that is purpose-built for agriculture."
Howard will join Onside's leadership team to support the company's growth. Financial terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.
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