Penn graduate students Laura Colagrande, GAR’18 and a student in the Integrated Product Design Program (IPD), Haley Russell, WG’18, and Amanda Robison, WG’18, recently won both categories at the third annual iDesign Prize competition for their sustainable pet food concept, Chipper. They were awarded $5,000 in the “people’s choice” category, and the professional jury awarded them the grand prize of $50,000.

Pet owners are increasingly choosing foods that are human grade, high in protein and free of byproducts, noted the team. Yet, there are few good options for products that do less harm to the environment. Chipper, which has been tested on more than 100 pets, contains 2.5 times more protein than other meat-based pet foods while using just a fraction of the land and water resources. The key: dried, powdered, protein-rich crickets. Chipper can bring in millions in revenue if it can capture 1 to 2 percent of the specialty pet food market, the team said. The iDesign funds will go directly toward bringing their product to market this fall, noted to the team.

The iDesign Prize gives Penn student teams the chance to launch an innovative product design venture after graduation. It is awarded for innovative physical products that solve a real problem in the world and are supported by holistic design, engineering and business planning.