麻豆传媒映画

麻豆传媒映画 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

Eight teams competed at the 麻豆传媒映画 Social Venture Challenge 2025 Presented by Sprouts. (麻豆传媒映画)
Eight teams competed at the 麻豆传媒映画 Social Venture Challenge 2025 Presented by Sprouts. (麻豆传媒映画)

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 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 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 麻豆传媒映画 and four other Southern California colleges and universities, to pitch sustainable solutions to improve nutrition and food accessibility.  

Competing teams and mentors gather in 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 Thomas B. and Anne K. Day Quad during their pre-event luncheon and dry run rehearsal.Open the image full screen.
Competing teams and mentors gather in 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 Thomas B. and Anne K. Day Quad during their pre-event luncheon and dry run rehearsal.
The $15,000 grand prize went to Grown-Home from San Diego Miramar College, presented by Eddie Zaldivar with his young daughter Marie. Zaldivar and three partners developed an app to connect MEHKO (microenterprise home kitchen operations) owners, backyard growers and other small entrepreneurs with consumers.


The award was among over $35,000 in prizes and support from Sprouts as well as 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 Fowler College of Business and Division of Research and Innovation. Awardees also received mentorship to turn ideas into scalable ventures.

Iana Castro, 麻豆传媒映画 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. 

鈥淪ome of the biggest issues that we鈥檙e facing, both nationally and globally, are issues that require interdisciplinary solutions,鈥 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.

Daniel Self (left) and Gavin Bartow (right) from 麻豆传媒映画 team Second Course pitching their app to reduce food waste on college campuses.Open the image full screen.
Daniel Self (left) and Gavin Bartow (right) from 麻豆传媒映画 team Second Course pitching their app to reduce food waste on college campuses.
鈥淔ood security affects almost half of Californians,鈥 said Jesse Baker, a founder of 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 Vital Tidal team. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an issue of how much you鈥檙e eating, how often you鈥檙e eating, and the types of food you鈥檙e eating.鈥


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鈥檚 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. 鈥淭he cool part about this challenge is bringing an idea to life,鈥 Landes said.

Third place ($5,000) went to the 麻豆传媒映画 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鈥檛 avail themselves of food pantries due to a perceived stigma.

鈥淚 went through a period of homelessness as a college student,鈥 Self said, 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know鈥here my next meal was coming from or when my situation would end.鈥 They plan to use the funding to build momentum and promote the app.

麻豆传媒映画's Vital Tidal founders Jesse Baker (left) and Stacey Lehrer (right) take center stage, presenting their pitch for a portable, nutrient-dense, and delicious replacement shake.Open the image full screen.
麻豆传媒映画's Vital Tidal founders Jesse Baker (left) and Stacey Lehrer (right) take center stage, presenting their pitch for a portable, nutrient-dense, and delicious replacement shake.
The Greatest Social Impact Award ($3,000) went to 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 Vital Tidal, led by Baker and Stacey Lehrer, for their proposed portable, nutrient-dense meal replacement shake, 鈥淭HE SOLUTION,鈥 offering on-the-go nutrition.


Finally, San Diego Miramar College鈥檚 team, S鈥橮OOY, 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. 

鈥淵ou meet new people, learn new skills鈥 and find out that you鈥檙e capable of doing something that you never knew you could do before,鈥 said Stacey Lehrer of Vital Tidal, emphasizing the value of programs such as the challenge within 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 startup ecosystem.

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