Venture Lab

Two local entrepreneurs are working to make gardening easier through artificial intelligence with the help of Lackawanna College’s Venture Lab.

“Lackawanna College has been a true difference maker for our startup. Without their support and resources, Agger Grand would still be struggling to get off its feet. With their help, we were able to create a solid online presence as well as dedicate the time required to doing our soil test analysis for clients. As a new founder, being able to leverage Lackawanna’s internship program was a dream come true. The program highlights the school’s ability to create hardworking and ambitious students. Our intern dedicated himself to our mission and provided exceptional work. It has been a privilege to be have made such a valuable connection with Lackawanna College.” – Robert Mueller, Founder of Agger Grand Company

About Agger Grand

Agger Grand Company is a start-up company focused on solving the problems many gardeners face such as costs and labor, growing nutrient dense food and conserving soil resources. They are working to solve these issues through the use of data driven algorithms and the latest in AI technology to guide a gardener’s decision-making process for their products.

Founders Story

Agger Grand was founded by Robert Mueller, a recent King’s College graduate with experience in computer programming and AI, and Royce Vaughn, a King’s College lecturer who researches soil balancing, and experiments with soilless mediums and ion exchange in soil. Vaughn and Mueller formed the company out of necessity, developing a tool for gardeners to easily discover how to maximize their soil health.

The two realized the most popular online sources for gardening aren’t sufficiently helping gardeners make their soil perfect. Vaughn and Mueller acted on the opportunity by using AI to collect data in the agricultural industry to incorporate into the lives of farmers.

At the Lab

After successfully launching Agger Grand, Vaughn and Mueller used their connections to Lackawanna College’s Venture Lab to ignite customer discovery with marketing and business finance educational events. The Venture Lab has been one of Agger Grand’s biggest supporters since its founding with Vaughn and Mueller highly recommending the lab for start-up companies in need of guidance and a sounding board. The lab previously helped them prepare their tecBRIDGE Business Plan Competition submission.

The Venture Lab also facilitated an internship with a Lackawanna College business student. The intern, from the Lackawanna College Hazelton campus, focused on digital marketing and social media content creation for Agger Grand Company.

What’s Next?

Vaughn and Mueller are currently working with the Venture lab to market their minimum viable product and generate customer leads in the community.

Take the Next Step

The Lackawanna College Venture Lab helps students and members of the community launch new businesses in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The lab offers professional services, innovative programs and industry connections within a supportive peer-to-peer learning environment. The lab specializes in disadvantaged entrepreneurs creating microenterprises by applying a lean startup approach. Click here to learn more about the Venture Lab.