Paul Shumlich - Deep Water Farms
Paul Shumlich, a fourth year Bachelor of Business Administration student, burst on the scene by building a small greenhouse at the university. Driven by his passion for sustainability, Shumlich's progress and determination has been nothing short of amazing.
After co-founding a successful window washing company with his high school friends, Shumlich desired to invest his time and energy into a venture that had greater meaning to him, and that was purpose driven. This change of direction drove him to dive into researching food sustainability.
Shumlich's startup, Deepwater Farms, is a closed-loop aquaponic system that brings fresh organic food to local partners year-round. The system creates an environment where fish and plants are grown and harvested in water. The farm not only produces fresh produce, but also raises edible fish. The waste from the fish provides nutrients to the plants and the plants then clean the water - it's a zero waste way to grow food.
Shumlich's minors in Finance and Economics and Innovation and Entrepreneurship will aid him in understanding whether or not his goal to grow sustainable produce year round is economically feasible.
During the 2015 JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition, Shumlich won $25,000. In June 2016 he was accepted into the ATB Booster crowdfunding program. Through this program Shumlich raised awareness, gained supporters, and secured $10,260 in funding, which was invested into materials to develop this new system.
--- Watch Paul's BoostR Video ---
Shumlich now sells leafy greens and herbs to some of the top chefs in Calgary who value locally grown food year round, and continues to focus on the development of his aquaponics technology.
Discover if Crowdfunding is the next step for you:
ATB BoostR presents: Crowdfunding 101 November 22 10:00AM and 3:30PM
Register here: https://atbboostrmru.eventbrite.ca