SDSU Social Venture Challenge 2025 awards $35,000 to food security innovators
Top prize went to a plan for an app connecting home growers with potential consumers
Proposals to reduce food waste, innovative nutritional products and apps developed by aspiring entrepreneurs were among the prize-winning ideas offering solutions to food security presented at San Diego State University’s annual Social Venture Challenge.
Supported by the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, ZIP Launchpad, and the Lavin Entrepreneurship Center, the March 21 event drew eight teams, from SDSU and four other Southern California colleges and universities, to pitch sustainable solutions to improve nutrition and food accessibility.
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The award was among over $35,000 in prizes and support from Sprouts as well as SDSU’s Fowler College of Business and Division of Research and Innovation. Awardees also received mentorship to turn ideas into scalable ventures.
Iana Castro, SDSU Fowler College of Business marketing professor, Zahn Professor of Creativity and Innovation, and founder of BrightSide Produce, emphasized the importance of raising awareness about the barriers to food security.
“Some of the biggest issues that we’re facing, both nationally and globally, are issues that require interdisciplinary solutions,” Castro said, highlighting how she has worked closely with faculty to integrate the theme of food security in their courses. She said one of her goals in discussing food security with students is to encourage them to find solutions from all perspectives, bridging the gap between academic learning and innovative real-world application.
Growing the Teams: Educating, preparing and presenting
Throughout the challenge, teams gained valuable insights into the complexities of food security. From researching root causes to developing business models, participants deepened their understanding of food security challenges in their communities.
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Bringing ideas to life required extensive research, ideation, and refinement. Teams spent weeks developing business models, conducting market research, and integrating feedback from ZIP and Lavin mentors. The Second Course team’s Gavin Bartow, an MBA student in the Fowler College of Business, credited Castro, ZIP Launchpad Program Director Erica Charlonis, and pitching coach Shan Cureton for sharpening their pitch and presentation.
Additional awards
The second place prize ($7,500) went to Power Pops from Point Loma Nazarene University, created by Valentina Montes, Natalie Landes, and Micah Robyn, for their pineapple-flavored popsicle, in sustainable packaging, designed to curb iron deficiency. The prize will help bring Power Pops to food banks and fund equipment to make the product shelf-stable. “The cool part about this challenge is bringing an idea to life,” Landes said.
Third place ($5,000) went to the SDSU team Second Course, led by Daniel Self and Gavin Bartow, who are developing an app to connect students with untouched leftovers from campus restaurants and events to build a circular food system and reduce waste. The team said their approach would assist students who don’t avail themselves of food pantries due to a perceived stigma.
“I went through a period of homelessness as a college student,” Self said, “I didn’t know…where my next meal was coming from or when my situation would end.” They plan to use the funding to build momentum and promote the app.
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Finally, San Diego Miramar College’s team, S’POOY, led by Diana and Till Hartwig-Arce, won both the Audience Vote ($2,500) and Best Presentation Award ($2,000) for their proposed regenerative, gourmet mushroom farming technique using normally discarded coffee grounds.
Stemming from SVC: Entrepreneurship initiatives
Social Venture Challenge was designed to highlight the potential of student entrepreneurs to drive meaningful change in food security.
“You meet new people, learn new skills… and find out that you’re capable of doing something that you never knew you could do before,” said Stacey Lehrer of Vital Tidal, emphasizing the value of programs such as the challenge within SDSU’s startup ecosystem.
