AgBiz Assist

What AgBiz Assist does

AgBiz Assist is a community-based, not-for-profit organization headquartered in Wodonga, Victoria, Australia, with a regional office in Shepparton. It provides free, confidential rural financial counselling, wellbeing and mental health support, business mentoring, and disaster recovery assistance to farmers, small rural businesses, and ag-dependent communities across 14 local government areas in North East Victoria. Its portfolio includes the Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) — a designated Australian Government–funded program — together with short-term Wellbeing & Counselling Support, the AgBiz Care charitable arm for disaster relief (most recently activated for the 2026 Bushfire Appeal), and a wholly-owned social-enterprise subsidiary, Community Business Connect, which supplies IT and telephony solutions to other businesses and not-for-profits. Governance is provided by a board of directors comprising practicing farmers, Chartered Accountants, and rural industry leaders.

The organization operates on a grant and government-contract revenue model: services to end-users are free of charge, with funding drawn from the Australian and Victorian Governments for the RFCS program, supplemented by donations to AgBiz Care and modest commercial revenue from Community Business Connect. Distribution is delivered through physical offices in Wodonga and Shepparton combined with active outreach across remote LGAs, and the marketing mix relies on word-of-mouth, community partnerships, social media, and government agency referrals. The organization is not venture-backed or privately equity-owned, has 11-50 employees, and its legal entity is AgBiz Assist Ltd, a private company limited by guarantee registered in Victoria. Underlying technology is conventional web and CRM infrastructure with no disclosed proprietary platform, AI, or API surface; the organization is explicitly a service provider rather than a technology company.

Name

AgBiz Assist

Legal name

AgBiz Assist Ltd

Website

https://agbizassist.org.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AgBiz Assist is a not-for-profit organization providing free rural financial counselling, wellbeing support, and disaster recovery services to farmers, small rural businesses, and ag-dependent communities across North East Victoria, funded by Australian and Victorian Governments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Financial Counselling and Community Support Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Agricultural Services (700), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Whole-Farm Business Management & Budgeting Advisory (AFACAJAA), Cash & Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Emergency Livelihood Support (BPAGAAAJ)

Keywords

• Rural financial counselling
• Farmer wellbeing support
• Small business advisory
• Disaster recovery services
• Rural community programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Wodonga

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: AgBiz Assist is a not-for-profit organization primarily funded by the Australian and Victorian Governments to provide free rural financial counselling and wellbeing services to farmers and rural communities.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

AgBiz Assist delivers free, confidential rural financial counselling, short-term wellbeing and counselling support, and charitable disaster recovery assistance to farmers, small rural businesses, and ag-dependent communities across North East Victoria. It is government-funded and operates regional offices in Wodonga and Shepparton, with outreach across 14 local government areas and complementary sub-brands for IT/telephony (Community Business Connect) and disaster relief (AgBiz Care).

Product overview

AgBiz Assist is a community organization offering a portfolio of support services for rural communities, not a technology product company. Its core offerings include the Rural Financial Counselling Service (free, confidential financial counselling), Wellbeing & Counselling Support (short-term mental health support), Community Business Connect (IT and telephony solutions for businesses and not-for-profits), and AgBiz Care (charitable arm providing disaster relief and direct support services). The organization operates as a service-based non-profit rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AgBiz Care: Registered charity providing relief and support to rural people, family farms, small business, agribusiness and rural communities recovering from natural disasters
• Community Business Connect
• Wellbeing & Counselling Support

Products and services

• Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) Free, confidential financial counselling assistance to farmers, rural businesses, and regional communities facing financial hardship or transitioning through change. Delivered across North East Victoria and South West NSW.
• Wellbeing & Counselling Support Short-term, no-cost counselling service offering practical, confidential support to help manage stress and improve wellbeing for rural people and businesses.
• Community Business Connect Community technology provider offering a full suite of IT and Telephony solutions to businesses and not-for-profits. Operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of AgBiz Assist.
• AgBiz Care Registered charity providing relief and support to family farms, small businesses, and rural communities through natural disasters or difficult circumstances, offering direct relief, prepaid grocery cards, vouchers, financial counselling, and training programs.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Need for Feed AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to support farmers and rural communities affected by natural disasters with feed and supplies assistance.
• Community Business ConnectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated social enterprise providing community technology services including IT and telephony solutions to businesses and not-for-profits.
• Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore program providing free, confidential rural financial counselling to farmers and small rural businesses.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• OzHarvest: Australia's leading food rescue charity distributing surplus food to communities in need. Broadly comparable disaster and emergency relief provider with overlap in delivering direct relief (grocery cards, food support) similar to AgBiz Care's offering, but operating nationally and at significantly larger scale.
• Beyond Blue: National Australian mental health organization providing counselling, information, and support with specific rural and farming community programs. Broadly comparable as a mental health and wellbeing provider with significant overlap in rural client base, but operating nationally and at significantly larger scale than AgBiz Assist's wellbeing arm.
• Lifeline Australia: National crisis support and suicide prevention service operating across Australia with rural outreach programs. Broadly comparable crisis and wellbeing support provider serving rural Australians, but operating as a national-scale incumbent rather than a regional specialist.

Direct peers

• BlazeAid: Australian volunteer-based organization rebuilding fences and providing on-ground disaster recovery support to farmers affected by bushfires and floods. Directly comparable as a rural-focused disaster recovery charity serving an overlapping client base with AgBiz Assist's AgBiz Care arm.
• Rural Financial Counselling Service NSW: The NSW arm of the federally-funded Rural Financial Counselling Service program, delivering free financial counselling to farmers and rural businesses in New South Wales. Directly comparable as a regional RFCS provider with the same government funding model and client base, but serving an adjacent state.
• Rural Financial Counselling Service Tasmania: Tasmania's regional RFCS provider delivering free, confidential financial counselling to farming and rural small business clients. Directly comparable as a sister regional provider operating under the same federally-funded RFCS framework.
• Need for Feed Australia: Australian charity delivering donated feed, fodder, and supplies to farmers impacted by natural disasters. Directly comparable disaster-relief peer, and a current operational partner of AgBiz Assist for bushfire-affected farmers.
• Rural Financial Counselling Service Victoria - Western: Another regional RFCS provider operating in western Victoria under the same national program structure. Directly comparable to AgBiz Assist in service model and funding, but serving a different regional cluster within Victoria.

Regional players

• Riverine Plains Farming Systems Group: Regional farming systems group supporting grain growers and mixed farmers in the Riverine Plains region (where Director Fiona Marshall is Chair). Comparable as a regional agricultural member organization serving the same North East Victorian client base as AgBiz Assist, but focused on agronomic research and extension rather than financial counselling.
• GV Agcare: Earlier incarnation of rural financial counselling service in the Goulburn Valley region, with Board Chair Stephen Cohen as a former Chair. A historical peer and potential regional overlapping entity with roots in the same community and client base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/agbizassist
• Facebookfacebook.com/agbizassistorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agbizassist
• Instagraminstagram.com/agbizassist

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AgBiz Assist