Seed to Scale: UCR’s Agricultural Innovation Program
Explore market opportunities, build practical skills, and grow with two flexible learning pathways
Sponsored by the James Irvine Foundation, Seed to Scale is a University of California, Riverside program designed to expand access to entrepreneurial opportunity in the agtech space while supporting business growth and innovation across Inland Southern California. The program is built to create more pathways for community members, aspiring founders, growers, agricultural businesses, and innovators who want to explore new ideas, strengthen or modernize operations, and contribute to the creation of high-quality jobs in the communities we serve.
As the core educational program of SoCal OASIS®, Seed to Scale offers flexible learning pathways for community members, entrepreneurs, growers, and agricultural businesses looking to explore new opportunities, validate ideas, and build practical skills for growth in today’s evolving agricultural economy.
Innovation Education Courses
The program is built for individuals and companies with a concept, product, technology, or operational challenge they want to explore further. This includes participants seeking to validate a new idea, as well as agricultural businesses looking to modernize business strategy, strengthen operations, or evaluate new growth opportunities.
Through flexible learning pathways, Seed to Scale helps participants assess market potential, build practical knowledge, and explore how innovation can support real-world agricultural applications.
Current Course Offerings
Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA): Technical & Business Applications for Agricultural Innovation
The Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) course introduces participants to the principles, technologies, and business applications of modern controlled growing systems, with a focus on nursery and specialty crop production.
Participants will explore how environmental control, automation, irrigation, fertigation, and infrastructure planning can improve production efficiency, support operational modernization, and create new opportunities in agriculture.
The course also examines how CEA knowledge can be translated into business opportunities - whether through the development of new ventures or the integration of advanced growing systems into existing operations.
Topics include:
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Greenhouse and nursery production systems
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Climate control and environmental management
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Water and nutrient management
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Fertigation systems and irrigation planning
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Sensors, automation, and controls
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Capital investment and infrastructure decision-making
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Emerging CEA models, including container farming and plant factories
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Real-world business applications in nursery and specialty crop production
2026 Schedule
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Dates: May 26 - August 11, 2026 (12 Weeks)
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Time: Tuesdays at 6:00 PM
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Format: Online
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Additional Format Notes: Includes weekly online discussion sessions with supplemental self-paced course materials and optional mentorship
INNOVAR: Customer Discovery & Market Validation
INNOVAR is a 10-week venture development course focused on customer discovery and market validation.
This course is designed for participants who already have a business concept, technology, product, or operational opportunity they want to explore. Rather than teaching participants to simply “come up with an idea,” INNOVAR helps them test assumptions, gather feedback from real stakeholders, and evaluate whether there is a viable market opportunity worth pursuing.
Participants will learn how to:
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Clarify the problem they are solving
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Identify target customers and stakeholders
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Conduct customer discovery interviews
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Test assumptions and validate demand
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Refine their value proposition
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Assess product-market fit before investing further in development
2026 Schedule
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Dates: June 24 - August 26, 2026 (10 Weeks)
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Time: Wednesdays, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
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Format: The majority of this course is delivered online, but includes 2 required in-person commitments. The first and final sessions will be held in person.
Who Should Apply
Seed to Scale is designed for participants who want to better understand market demand, strengthen their strategy, and explore how modern agricultural technologies can support growth.
Seed to Scale is designed for:
- Community members and aspiring entrepreneurs interested in building or exploring a business in agriculture, agtech, or related industries
- Growers, agricultural businesses, and small business owners looking to modernize operations, explore innovation, or identify new market opportunities
- Early-stage founders and innovators who want to validate ideas, strengthen business strategy, and better understand their path to growth
- Professionals, operators, and problem-solvers seeking practical tools, industry insight, and new ways to participate in the evolving agricultural economy
The CEA course is specifically intended for small to medium agricultural businesses, nursery operators, growers, technical staff, licensed plant propagation participants, and individuals exploring CEA-related innovation.
What Participants Will Gain
Through Seed to Scale, participants gain practical tools and insight to better evaluate opportunities, strengthen or modernize business strategy, and apply agricultural innovation with greater confidence.
Participants will:
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Validate opportunities through customer discovery and market feedback
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Refine strategy by better understanding customer needs, market fit, and business potential
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Build practical knowledge in Controlled Environment Agriculture, including modern production systems and operational technologies
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Identify opportunities for growth, operational improvement, and innovation within new or existing businesses
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Connect with UCR’s Office of Technology Partnerships network for continued support, mentorship, and business resources
Obtain a Certificate
Participants who complete the CEA course will receive a University of California Certificate of Completion (non-credit).
Seed to Scale Success Story
From the Land – Turning Innovation into Impact
From the Land is transforming local food systems through energy-efficient indoor micro-farms, designed to boost food security and sustainability. Their flagship project, The Littlest Big Farm, launched in partnership with Huerta del Valle, serves as a model for scalable, community-based agriculture.
Dr. Gina Oliver and Richard Hutchison's journey began in the 2023 program, where they validated their business idea through the INNOVAR course, refined their pitch with expert mentorship, and aligned their mission with real-world demand. From the Land went on to win the 2023 SoCal OASIS™ Pitch Challenge and secured $250,000 from the Catalyst Fund, enabling the launch of their first micro-farm.
Ready to Explore What’s Next for Your Agricultural Innovation?
Frequently Asked Questions
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Do I need to have a business idea before applying?
Participants do not need to have a fully developed business or a highly advanced idea before applying. However, they should come in with a concept, problem, product idea, technology, operational challenge, or area of opportunity they want to explore further.
Seed to Scale is designed to help participants test, validate, and refine an opportunity - not to start from a blank slate. In other words, you do not need to have everything figured out, but you should have something specific you want to investigate.
This could include:
a new product or service idea
a challenge within an existing business or operation
a technology or innovation you want to evaluate
a potential market opportunity you are curious about exploring
The program is best suited for participants who are ready to examine whether an idea or opportunity has real potential - rather than those looking to generate a business idea from scratch.
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What is the focus of INNOVAR?
INNOVAR is focused on customer discovery and market validation. Participants learn how to test assumptions, understand customer needs, and evaluate whether a concept, product, or opportunity has real market potential.
Rather than focusing on idea generation alone, INNOVAR helps participants better understand the problem they are solving, gather feedback from stakeholders, and assess market fit before investing further in development.
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What is the format of the classes?
What is the format of the classes?
The two Seed to Scale classes are offered in different formats depending on the learning experience.
INNOVAR is offered in a hybrid format, with weekly live sessions and the first and final class held in person.
Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) is offered online, with weekly live sessions supported by self-paced course materials, guided learning activities, and optional mentorship opportunities.
Depending on the course, participants may also have access to additional networking opportunities and optional in-person experiences, including opportunities to visit UCR labs.
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Do I need to participate in both courses?
No. Participants may enroll in one or both courses depending on their goals, stage of development, and areas of interest.
Some participants may choose to complete both INNOVAR and Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) as part of a broader innovation pathway, while others may enroll in the course that best aligns with their current needs.
Participants seeking technical education and practical applications in Controlled Environment Agriculture, or looking to modernize business strategy and operations within an existing agricultural business, may choose to enroll in the CEA course only.
Participants seeking customer discovery and market validation support may choose to enroll in INNOVAR only - even if their concept, product, or opportunity is not agriculture-related.
This flexible structure allows participants to engage with the program in the way that best supports their goals - whether they are validating a new concept, strengthening an existing business, or exploring future growth opportunities.
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Will I receive a certificate?
Participants who complete the CEA course will receive a University of California Certificate of Completion (non-credit).
UC Riverside's Seed to Scale is supported by:
