University of Wisconsin Students Win $10K in Business Plan Competition

Sky Vegetables — the brainchild of University of Wisconsin-Madison business students Keith Agoada and Troy Vosseller — was the grand prize winning idea of the school’s 2008 G. Steven Burrill Business Plan Competition, according to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education (“High-Minded Idea,” May 23, 2008).

Agoada, a senior marketing major, and Vosseller, a graduate student pursuing his MBA, won $10,000 for their plan to construct and operate commercial hydroponic greenhouses on the rooftops of supermarkets across the United States.

Sky Vegetables would employ specially trained hydroponic farmers who would cultivate fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs in a nutrient-rich solution instead of soil. Since this liquid weighs significantly less than soil, the students say, the supermarket rooftop greenhouses will not cause any undue strain on the buildings.

Key components of the students’ business model involve an elimination of carbon emissions — no transportation would be required to bring the produce to market — and the use of camera-monitored greenhouses that will allow customers to see where their food is being grown.

"These farms in California — you have no idea what goes on," Agoada said. "We're saying that we're so confident in our product, we'll even show you how we make it."

Agoada and Vosseller have entered their business model into the Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest. The take-home prize of $200,000 could end up being the seed money to carry the students’ new venture forward.

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