An agricultural science major and agribusiness student were part of a team that won $10,000 in a California State University system-wide startup challenge.
Gabriel Contreras, a manufacturing engineering major, teamed up with Gabriel Young, an agribusiness and food industry management major, and Metzli Hernandez, a senior in agricultural science, to launch a startup called Snap Grow Solutions.
Snap Grow Solutions developed a product called “Click It” for vertical container farms like the one at Cal Poly Pomona.
These container farms have foam panels on which the plants can grow. They hold the root system, help apply nutrients, and supply the plants with enough moisture to grow. However, the foam panels can trap water and nutrients, encourage algae and pests, and require significant time and labor to clean and maintain.
Click It is a 3D-printed modular insert that is cleanable, repairable, and compatible with the original model panels. It also includes a funneled rear channel that helps prevent standing water and leaks.
“This allows farmers to harvest, clean, and replant within the same day instead of spending up to 1-2 weeks manually cleaning foam panels,” said Hernandez, a senior from Sylmar who also works as the head grower of the vertical farm. “I saw firsthand how Click It could reduce cleaning time, labor, and maintenance while supporting healthier plant growth.”
Plant Science Assistant Professor Eshwar Ravishankar and Agribusiness and Food Industry Management Assistant Professor Yunkyung Julie Lee were the team’s advisors.
Snap Grow Solutions took the product to the Bronco Startup Challenge at Cal Poly Pomona. After winning there, the students advanced to the CSU’s Sunstone Startup Launch competition, which was held at Cal State Northridge.
Competing against student and recent alumni founders from across the CSU system, the team took second place in Track #2: Hardware and Consumer Goods and received $10,000 in funding to support the next stage of prototype development, market analysis, and further advance their venture.
The team plans to continue conducting trials on different varieties of lettuce, kale and mizuna to measure plant growth, water use, root health, stability, and insert service life. The students will use the information to make improvements to Click It.
Beyond the actual prize, the startup challenge provided the students a wealth of hands-on experience not only in creating an agricultural product that addresses a real-world problem, but also in teamwork, business, entrepreneurship, leadership, and problem solving.
"These competitions helped me develop my public speaking and networking skills that gave me the confidence to communicate with business professionals and promote our product,” Hernandez said.
It also showed Hernandez how innovation can make farming more time, cost, and labor efficient.
“I wholeheartedly believe in this product and trust that the Click It will help future farmers produce effectively, efficiently, and sustainably,” she said.
