Why does Tractor Ventures exist?

Our CEO & Co-Founder Matt Allen explains why Tractor plays such an important role in the Australian & New Zealand technology ecosystem.

Tractor Ventures Co-Founder and CEO Matt Allen
Desktop and Mobile illustration

Why Tractors?

One of the questions we get asked over and over is why do we call what we do, Tractor Ventures?

Some may not consider Tractors as sexy or cool initially. They don’t appear to be Unicorns or Rockets. They may not think that they inspire awe, or that they transport you to unknown worlds.

They’re… tractors.

Solid & Dependable - they keep on moving at a steady pace. (Dare we say, they can sometimes be perceived as a little more boring than a Rocket ship.)

And most fast growing tech companies would probably prefer a rocket analogy to describe their growth.

But is that the right motivation for all founders?

When you really think about rockets - they’re complex, really expensive and hard to build. They come with a lot of risks during the build process. And if any one of those risks can’t be overcome, or the unknowns accrue, then at launch time the rocket is consumed in an explosive and unsuccessful end.

So we come back to tractors.

Tractors are for general life. Making real differences. Improving day to day operations. Getting shit done.

There’s a lot to love about tractors.

They’re robust, reliable and most importantly, they’re optimised for efficiency in the workplace. The horse and cart, the steam tractor, the diesel tractor and now the automated, satellite driven, super accurate tractors are the way that real businesses move forward and achieve profitability.

Business owners appreciate tractors because they have a direct and measurable impact on the bottom line. Tractors get embedded into workflows and quickly become critical to the businesses that use them. Tell a farmer that they can’t use a tractor any more and they’ll probably get very upset. Kick a cowpat. Yell at a sheep.

Because they know that tractors just work.

And let’s face it, building a tractor is much cheaper than building a rocket.

Founders who have deep experience in the problem they’re solving can often prove the value of their tractor to potential customers by building, and selling, a tractor that is most impactful to their customers’ business. They can also build a tractor that works for lots of customers, instead of just one.

Desktop and Mobile illustration
Desktop and Mobile illustration

These founders are our sort of people.

At Tractor Ventures we’re all about supporting, championing and funding the founders who are building important tractors for their customers. Tractors that once their customers drive it, they can’t imagine business without it.

Great tractor companies may be hidden in plain sight, solving a problem so common to their customers that most people are blind to the value. The thing we know about people who found tractor-style startups is that they eventually sell lots of tractors by earning the trust of their customers and earn the right to talk to more customers by delivering solid results.

Even the first tractor sold is valuable to customers, so while it might take a long time to build up a business that has sold a lot of tractors, that business can be mostly funded from customer revenues rather than risk capital.

It all starts with one tractor.

Tractor Ventures will find, fund and support the best builders that have already built and sold some tractors, but who need $100k - $1million in funding to focus on finding the next set of customers.

Our tractor builders will be those writing impactful software, likely classic SaaS, and are able to onboard and support new customers without incurring costs at the same rate. They’re software companies who are truly efficient at what they do!

Founders who can’t go back to their old job as the problem they’re intently focussed on just won’t go away. These leaders are driven and methodical. They want to be the best in their field. They’re building the future.

And that’s why we’re excited about tractors.

Read our values to get a feel for how we see the world.

Desktop and Mobile illustration

Get in Touch

If you're revenue-generating and looking to scale for the future...

Let's Chat