University of Wisconsin Law School student Troy Vosseller and business partner Keith Agoada are the winners of first prize in the G. Steven Burrill Business Plan Competition for 2008, for their project Sky Vegetables.

Vosseller is enrolled in a dual degree program in law and business (M.B.A.) and Agoada is a business student with a major in marketing.

The prize-winning idea developed by the two students won them $10,000 to invest in their plan to construct and operate commercial, soil-less hydroponic greenhouses on the rooftops of supermarkets in the United States. A separate entity from the supermarkets, the company would cultivate vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers year-round to transport to the stores for retail sale.

The lack of necessary transportation, packaging, or storage costs provides Sky Vegetables with a competitive advantage, the two young entrepreneurs wrote in their proposal. The company intends to reach its break-even point within 20 months.

Vosseller is no stranger to entrepreneurial success. In 2004, when he was a UW-Madison undergraduate, he and a fellow student created Sconnie Nation, a project that begin with 100 T-shirts and now successfully markets a wide range of merchandise celebrating the Wisconsin lifestyle.

Submitted by on May 20, 2008

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