You Don't Need to Be a Historic Inventor, Scientist or Statesman to have the next BIG IDEA!

Win up to $25,000 Cash!

Ben Franklin Technology Partners, an award winning tech-based economic development program, is looking for innovators with BIG IDEAS who are developing new products or processes in the agriculture (AG) and food/beverage industries. Examples might include a new take on drone or smart farming, soil and crop health, pest management, AG machinery and automation, robotic solutions, sensor applications, dairy management, innovative food and beverage products, packaging, processing and supply chain solutions, and more!

Apply by 5 p.m. on August 29, 2022

The winner will receive:

Up to $25,000 in cash
An opportunity to pitch the business concept for a $10,000 seed grant
A guaranteed spot in a business accelerator program
Business mentoring and support from Ben Franklin Technology Partners
A six-month, free subscription to Sparktoro.com – Audience Research at Your Fingertips
SparkToro makes audience research easy. With a quick search, you can uncover attributes about any online audience—websites they visit, social accounts they follow, podcasts they listen to, topics they discuss—and apply these to be more targeted and effective in your marketing.

You qualify to apply if:

You are located in Ben Franklin’s central and northern 32- county footprint
You have not previously received Ben Franklin funding or a cash prize from another BIG IDEA contest
You plan to commercialize your innovation

Apply Now

Contest Rules & Regulations

Application Rules
- All applications must be received via application portal on this page which will remain open until 5 p.m. on August 29, 2022.
- You may apply even if you haven’t yet registered as a business entity.
- You may apply with more than one idea; but you must submit a separate application for each idea through the application portal.
- Do not include full patent filings, drawing support letters or any other exhibits that you deem proprietary.
- You must agree to complete all BIG IDEA Contest program requirements to be considered as a finalist.

Contest Timeline

Contest FAQs

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Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.