Agoraponic Farms

?? Agoraponic Farms Takes the Stage at the Road to Silicon Valley Shark Tank! ???? Last week on March 6th, Marian Hollenbeck and Sahil Jena pitched Agoraponic Farms at Rutgers University’s Road to Silicon Valley Shark Tank competition, sharing our vision for using hydroponic farming to combat food insecurity on college campuses. Thanks to their dedication and hard work, Agoraponic Farms has secured a spot as one of the six finalists in the first round of the competition! The Numbers That Make a Difference: ?? Each farm has the capability of producing 2,000+ servings of leafy greens per year, valued at $6,000+ annually ?? Our proposed sale price of $5,225 and cost of $3,225 creates a $2,000 profit margin per unit ??Our target market includes the 31 food pantries in Middlesex County, NJ—with plans to expand to the 800+ colleges nationwide struggling with food insecurity To take the next step, we’re seeking $2,500 to fund a new hydroponic farming system, improving our design and efficiency while expanding our reach. A huge thank you to the judges and the Road to Silicon Valley team for this incredible opportunity, to our amazing team members for their hard work and dedication, and to the other inspiring projects in the competition!

?? Important Announcement! ?? During the Grand Opening of the Rutgers Student Basic Needs Center, two of project leads, Marian Hollenbeck and Sahil Jena, as well as Rutgers Enactus President Isabel Li attended the event and got to speak about the project with various attendees. The overall mission of this facility is to combat food and housing insecurity for all Scarlet Knights, as well as providing general basic needs assistance, resource navigation, and clothing rentals while creating a safe environment. Currently, their food pantry is the home of our latest and greatest hydroponics system! Our team is incredibly honored to be a part of this project, and we encourage everyone to come check out our progress in the basement of the College Avenue Student Center! #rutgers #rutgersuniversity #enactus #rutgersenactus #hydroponics #foodpantry #foodpantrygarden

?? Project Lead Spotlight: Marian! ?? As the Internal Research and Development Lead, Marian is driving our mission to promote sustainability and food security! Check out the video below to see Marian and the team's incredible work! #sustainability #hydroponics #enactus

Who Are We? Agoraponic Farms started off as an idea to provide people in urban areas with healthy, reliable produce using hydroponic farming system, which require no soil. With the issue of food insecurity affecting urban areas such as New Brunswick, 40% of children live in poverty, and our purpose is to provide healthy alternatives at little to no cost. Additionally, a third of Rutgers students are affected by food shortages, causing them to turn towards the Rutgers pantry for support. Through research and dedication from our talented team, we were able to successfully build a hydroponics system, providing fresh produce, such as lettuce, herbs, and fruits directly to the Rutgers pantry. Our Greatest Achievements: - On April 19, 2023, Rutgers Enactus, presenting Project Agoraponic Farms, entered the Enactus National Exposition Early-Stage Competition, held at the Naveen Jindal School of Management in Dallas, Texas. - Secured a $10,000 from RUSA, allowing us to focus on food safety protocols, along with the construction of the first hydroponics model in Heylar House on the Rutgers Cook/Douglass Campus.