UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State students had the opportunity to showcase their entrepreneurial aspirations at the 2026 Ag Springboard student business pitch contest, which took place last month in State College.
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, 205 teams and 567 students have competed in Ag Springboard, with more than $125,000 in awards offered. This year, 10 teams and 23 students competed.
Jessica Padula, David Flores, Andrew Minton and Griffin White were the team behind Kumbu Connect. They took home first prize at this year’s competition and received $7,500. Kumbu Connect is a digital platform that strengthens agricultural community-based organizations, or CBOs, across sub-Saharan Africa by simplifying the process of connecting with grant-giving institutions.
Padula is majoring in agricultural and biorenewable systems management, and White is pursuing a degree in finance.
Minton, a mechanical engineering major, said during the presentation, “By creating a service that connects CBOs and funders, and also quantifies the impact of CBOs using community feedback and financial data, we provide a vital service that bridges the gap between CBOs and the resources they need.”
Flores, a materials science major, explained that through Kumbu Connect, CBOs are equipped with a digital system that replaces paper methods of recording important information, such as revenue and program expenses, in real time. Funders are equipped with a standardized database of information about CBOs, enabling them to discover, evaluate and support credible grassroots organizations with verified performance data.
Minton added, “By digitizing CBO operations and creating funding profiles backed by real data, Kumbu helps funders gain efficient prospecting tools and a transparent impact verification. CBOs gain access to grants and loans that were previously out of reach, helping everyone amplify their impact.”
Jake Seifarth, an agricultural science major, and Brian Swab, a graduate student in corporate innovation and entrepreneurship, are the duo behind Pavement Pastures, this year’s second-place team. They received $2,500. Pavement Pastures is an urban hydroponic farm that grows premium crops in the unused airspace over parking lots with minimal car displacement.
The problem Pavement Pastures is trying to solve is simple: according to Swab, there are 800 million parking spaces in the United States that sit under empty skies, while 23.5 million Americans live in urban food deserts with limited access to fresh, local produce. To solve this problem, Pavement Pastures designed a lightweight canopy frame using vinyl nutrient film technique channels, suspended eight to 10 feet above parking spaces.
Seifarth and Swab have spent the last two growing seasons proving their hydroponic system with basil and are pursuing patents on the canopy-mounting system. After last year's optimization, plans are underway to scale up strawberry production. Strawberries are a $28 billion global market and the largest consumer berry market in the United States.
“Pavement Pastures is the only option that combines low land cost, year-round production potential, urban settings, small infrastructure cost and proven operations,” Swab said during the presentation.
The college’s Harbaugh Entrepreneur and Innovation Faculty Scholar, Mark Gagnon, noted that Ag Springboard provides students with experience creating and pitching business ventures.
“Our students excelled through their initiative and thoughtful presentations of agricultural business ideas,” Gagnon said. “I’m thankful to our judges for their insights that will help our students not only improve their ideas but also contribute to their professional development.”
Judges were Penn State faculty and alumni, business owners, and supporters of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program, including Daniel Azzara, Jordan Brown, Jeff Conrad, Jason Dabrow, William Donley, Linda Feltman, John Finegan, Richard Hughen, Angie Raimondi, Jose Roggiero and Wendy Clemens.
The keynote speaker at the final judging event was Woody Wilson, class of 2012. Wilson graduated magna cum laude with degrees in agricultural science and leadership development. He participated in the inaugural Springboard Competition in 2011, where he pitched the idea for his business, Wilson Home Farms. Since graduation, he has been sustainably growing his service to meet the needs of State College residents interested in growing their own food.
Dan and Wendy Azzara, Earl and Kay Harbaugh, and the College of Agricultural Sciences supported the Ag Springboard competition.