By Blake Jackson
Students at Penn State University presented innovative business ideas during the 2026 Ag Springboard student business pitch competition held in State College.
Organized by the College of Agricultural Sciences, the annual event supports the university’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program, which encourages students from different academic fields to develop entrepreneurial skills and real-world solutions related to agriculture and sustainability.
This year’s competition featured 10 teams and 23 students pitching concepts focused on food systems, agriculture, sustainability, community development, and renewable materials. Since the contest began in 2011, more than 200 teams and 567 students have participated, competing for over $125,000 in prize funding.
The first-place award of $7,500 went to Kumbu Connect, a digital platform designed to help agricultural community-based organizations in sub-Saharan Africa connect more effectively with grant providers.
The winning team included Jessica Padula, David Flores, Andrew Minton, and Griffin White. Their platform helps organizations replace paper-based systems with digital tools that track operational and financial information in real time while giving funders access to verified performance data.
Minton explained 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.”
He later 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.”
Second place and a $2,500 prize went to Pavement Pastures, created by Jake Seifarth and Brian Swab. Their business focuses on hydroponic farming systems built above parking lots to produce fresh crops in urban areas.
“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.
Photo Credit: penn-state-college-of-agricultural-sciences
Categories: Pennsylvania, Business, Education