Navy veteran leverages skills to dive into entrepreneurship

April 20, 2020

Penn State alumna Tamela Serensits (Animal Science, 2001) learned entrepreneurship as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. Argolytics, her startup, helps manufacturers assess the quality of their products.

Bloom's Pitch for Ag Trading Tool Wins Ag Springboard, $7,500

April 6, 2020

Team Extrigate won second-place and $2,500 for pitch to offer affordable, well-drilling to small farmers. First virtual Ag Springboard draws more than 1,600 views on Facebook Live

Final Four Ag Springboard Teams Named

March 19, 2020

Follow the final round of competition by watching the finalist teams pitch judges LIVE on Facebook Live, Wednesday, April 1, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Winners will be announced on Facebook Live that afternoon. @psuaginnovation on Facebook.

Food Innovator to Judge Ag Springboard Awards Banquet

March 5, 2020

UPDATE: Linsey Herman, head of the innovation lab at Factory LLC, will be a judge for the final round of Ag Springboard April 1. The final pitching and judging will be held via video conference. The Ag Springboard awards banquet — which Herman was to keynote — has been postponed to the fall semester. Read about Herman's projects with College of Ag Sciences food science students and Pipcorn, a Factory partner who was featured on Shark Tank.

Mandela Fellows thriving after Penn State experience

February 7, 2020

Entrepreneurs Boubou Sangho and Gladys Freeman, who visited Penn State in 2018 as Mandela Fellows, are thriving in their businesses and entrepreneurial leadership efforts.

Tech that kills pests in wood passes commercial demo

January 23, 2020

Developed by Penn State researchers, the method uses dieletric heating and radio frequency to treat products such as wood pallets. This project was funded by a RAIN grant. Applications for a 2020 RAIN grant are due March 27. https://agsci.psu.edu/research/resources/funding/rain-grants-program

Forest Mapping Technology wins $10K in Pitch Contest

December 6, 2019

RealForests is sixth College of Ag Sciences venture to win local startup funding, recognition.

Investors and Entrepreneurs Tour Ag Technologies

November 13, 2019

College of Ag Sciences researchers who are commercializing their discoveries presented their ventures to VIPs during the Invent Penn State Venture & IP Conference

Alumnus secures $1.5 million for Start-Up

October 9, 2019

Hunter Swisher, 2016 plant sciences graduate and entrepreneur, recently secured up to $1.5 million in new investment funding for Phospholutions, his startup fertilizer solution company.

Where curiosity leads

August 6, 2019

Scientist Jeff Catchmark's search for a styrofoam replacement leads to biomaterials with broader impact.

Penn State biorenewable systems students climb to new heights in sustainability

August 5, 2019

Colin Geary and Nelson DiBiase, biorenewable systems graduates , set out to combine their passion for rock climbing and sustainability by creating a bio-based climbing hold for indoor rock climbing walls. Jeff Catchmark, professor of agricultural and biological engineering, drew from his work in sustainable materials to advise them. "Entrepreneurship is a state of mind where you see endless possibilities," said Catchmark, a member of the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Advisory Board.

Washington Post features Startup from 2012 Ag Springboard 2nd Place Winner

July 22, 2019

As a student in 2012, Fengchun "Spring" Yang placed second in Ag Springboard, then figured out how to sustain a healthy population of black soldier flies. Symton BSF, the startup he founded, was featured this month in the Washington Post.

Yang's genome editing technology leads to Research Innovators Award

April 17, 2019

Yinong Yang, professor of plant pathology, is the 2019 recipient of the Research Innovators Award, given by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences to recognize faculty and staff who have commercialized intellectual property generated by their Penn State research.

GreenBriq wins top $7,500 prize in Ag Springboard pitch contest

April 8, 2019

GreenBriq is turning invasive plants into sustainable fuel for Kenyan households. Inakua, the second-place winner of $2,500, plans to rent water-efficient hydroponic growing towers to Kenyan families to reliably grow their own vegetables.

Final Four Ag Springboard Teams Pitch Judges Wednesday

April 2, 2019

Four finalist teams in the Ag Springboard student pitch competition are pitching ventures to help solve food waste, cut fossil fuel emissions, combat invasive plant species and provide low-cost, water-wise food production. One will win the $7,500 grand prize to Make It Happen.

Entrepreneur and Former Pro Basketball Player Tyler Smith to Keynote Ag Springboard

April 1, 2019

Tyler Smith, who played on Penn State's 2001 men's basketball team that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen round in the NCAA tournament, will speak about mental fitness for entrepreneurs as the keynote speaker for Ag Springboard. The "final four" Ag Springboard teams pitch live before judges in the finalist round Wednesday, followed by an evening awards banquet.

Avocado seed extract shows promise as anti-inflammatory compound

March 12, 2019

An extract from the seeds of avocados exhibited anti-inflammatory properties in a laboratory study, according to Penn State researchers, and it represents a potential source for novel anti-inflammatory compounds that could be developed as a functional food ingredient or pharmaceuticals.

Senior Talks Lab-Grown Meat with Industry Leaders

March 6, 2019

Agribusiness Senior Tony Rice, named a Farm Foundation Cultivator, presented his study of lab-grown meat to industry leaders at a roundtable forum

Signup for Ag Springboard student business pitch contest!

February 11, 2019

Ag Springboard — a GREAT opportunity for students to learn how to pitch ideas and compete to win $7,500!!!

Seeking Nominees for Research Innovator Award

January 21, 2019

Do you know an innovative researcher who is commercializing technologies generated through Penn State research? Nominations sought for the 2019 Research Innovator Award.

Dream Big. Ag Springboard can help you Make It Happen

January 10, 2019

Ag Springboard experience helps students stand apart from the crowd. Win $7,500 to make your big dream happen.

Agribusiness Students Gauge Consumer Acceptance of Robotic Lawn-mowers

October 30, 2018

Owner of Eichenlaub, Inc., teaches students how he weighs new technology.

College of Agricultural Sciences selected as host site for Mandela Fellows

October 25, 2018

Boubou Sangho and Gladys Freeman, recipients of the prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, spent six weeks of professional development at Penn State's University Park campus in August and September. They worked with the college's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program, and took several courses related to their interests, such as entrepreneurship and agribusiness.

Meet Entrepreneur Callie Rojewski

October 15, 2018

Recent PSU grad Callie Rojewski — who started her first business as a student — tells her story at an Ag Springboard Open House Oct. 22, 5-6:30, 6 Armsby.

Bold Foods Founder Tells His Story Sept. 18

September 10, 2018

Treating judges to samples of pasta made with cricket powder helped Weslie Khoo and Haoshu Zhang’s team win the $7,500 grand prize at the Ag Springboard student business pitch contest in 2017.

Get Ready for Ag Springboard 2019

August 30, 2018

Meet young entrepreneurs and get career prep advice at the fall 2018 Ag Springboard open houses. Join us Sept. 18, Oct. 22 and Nov. 13!

Hey students! Get ready for your bright future — Get involved with E&I

August 27, 2018

"E & I provides a different perspective and skill set to supplement your education in more technical subjects so you are more equipped to solve real-world problems,” said Hunter Swisher, CEO and Founder of Phospholutions, 2016 Plant Sciences graduate, and Ag Springboard finalist in 2016.

Research commercialization leader joins PSU College of Agricultural Sciences

August 8, 2018

Dr. Maria Spencer has joined the Entrepreneurship & Innovation team in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences as the first John and Patty Warehime Entrepreneur in Residence. She will help the college's researchers commercialize discoveries to reach the full potential of their work.

City Lights: Experience the ingenious power of partnership

May 16, 2018

Leaders of ConidioTec and Phospholutions, two ag sciences startups, will tell their stories next month at a series of interactive, TED-talk-style City Lights events to showcase Invent Penn State. The annual series will visit Harrisburg; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh from June 18-21.

Ag Sciences Startups Win Big at Invent Penn State Event

May 11, 2018

Phospholutions won $80,000 in investment prizes and ConidioTec won $10,000 at this spring's Invent Penn State Venture & Intellectual Property Conference. Both startup companies are commercializing discoveries and technology developed at the College of Agricultural Sciences.