Student groups win top prizes at 2023 Ag Springboard pitch contest

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Two Penn State student teams took home cash prizes from the 2023 Ag Springboard student business pitch contest held during the spring semester.

Sponsored by the College of Agricultural Sciences, Ag Springboard is a key event for the college’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program, which fosters an entrepreneurial mindset for student success across majors and career paths.

During Ag Springboard, student teams pitch new business or nonprofit ideas to improve food, agriculture, biorenewable materials, community development or sustainability. Each student team must have at least one member enrolled in the college. Since 2011, 171 teams totaling more than 480 students have competed in Ag Springboard. This year, 12 teams competed.

Keli Brown and Hannah Hartness were the first-prize winners and received $7,500 toward their venture. Hartness and Brown Agri-Services aims to provide financial, livestock and crop management, graphic design, and marketing services to small and mid-sized farms in Frederick and Carroll counties in Maryland.

Hartness was then a fourth-year agribusiness management major from Thurmont, Maryland. Brown, of Klingerstown, was a first-year student majoring in agribusiness management.

“Keli and I are farm kids from hands-on backgrounds,” Hartness said. “We worked very hard to understand the behind-the-scenes work and see how much farmers have to do to ensure their businesses stay up and running. We are so excited to be able to help small and family-run farms thrive within the agricultural industry.”

After graduation in May, Hartness began working for Hoober Inc. as a sales and service associate, but she and Brown will be actively involved with their business. Brown plans to finish her degree at Penn State and support the business remotely. She hopes that by the time she graduates, they will be able to expand to her hometown and surrounding areas.

Zoelie Rivera-Ocasio, Heer Patel and Eric Appeldoorn-Sanders won second place and $2,500 for their business, Zoils & Pigments.

Rivera-Ocasio, of Gurabo, Puerto Rico, is a doctoral candidate in soil science with a dual-title degree in biogeochemistry. Patel was a fourth-year agricultural science student from Bensalem. Appeldoorn-Sanders is a doctoral candidate in marine sciences at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez.

Zoils & Pigments merges ancestral techniques and modern science to create handmade, soil-based art supplies. Its mission is to inspire appreciation for soils and pigments through art while having a positive impact on the environment and local communities.

The business creates products in small batches and offers a range of pigments processed from soils and minerals. The raw pigments can be used for various purposes, including dyeing fabrics and glazing ceramic pottery.

“The support from Penn State and the LaunchBox program has been key to evolving Zoils & Pigments,” Rivera-Ocasio said.

After completing her degree, Rivera-Ocasio said, she plans to focus on nontenure work in academia while supporting Zoils & Pigments. She also works part time for a nonprofit that she founded, Arte-Suelo-Ser.

Since graduating in May, Patel has worked in Colorado Springs as a soil conservationist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. She hopes to support Zoils & Pigments by expanding the soil collection site for pigments in Colorado.

Mark Gagnon, the college’s Harbaugh Entrepreneur and Innovation Faculty Scholar, noted that Ag Springboard is a unique opportunity for students, enabling them to practice researching, building and refining their business ideas.

“It’s something that builds their resume and an experience to talk with future employers about,” he said. “They must find the best way to communicate their business and solicit support. Down the line, that will benefit them, whether they’re talking to potential investors or pitching new ideas to their employers.”

For students interested in competing, Hartness recommends starting with something that you are passionate about. “If you’re passionate about it, you’ll work and fight harder for it,” she said.

“This is an excellent opportunity,” Rivera-Ocasio added. “Be open to feedback on improving your pitch and other aspects of your business. This will help you grow.”

Patel said, “Have fun and don’t be afraid to reach out for help. Obstacles will come up, but they are just steppingstones to shape you into a better version of yourself and for your business.”

This year’s finalist judges were Dan Azzara, Alan R. Warehime Professor of Food and Agribusiness and the director of the college’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program; William Donley, E&I board chairman; Angela Raimondi, Pure Play national business manager, Perfetti Van Melle; and Hannah Carney, master’s degree candidate in food science and the 2022 Ag Springboard first-place winner.

The competition is supported by Dan and Wendy Azzara, Earl and Kay Harbaugh, and the College of Agricultural Sciences.