431. SoySeal’s Jocelyn Erickson + Elizabeth Heckaman on transforming soybeans into industrial products + winning the Student Soybean Innovation Competition

From styrofoam to concrete, the Student Soybean Innovation Competition at Purdue University has transformed a renewable resource into several industrial products over the last three decades. More than products, though, it has turned students into aspiring creators and entrepreneurs. Elizabeth Heckaman and Jocelyn Erickson from this year’s winning competition join us in studio this week to recap SoySeal, ideating a product to market viability and the ultimate joy of holding a grand prize check. 

We get into:  

• SoySeal as an invention and how it came to be 
• Why they chose an adhesive over other routes 
• The formulation process – how does a soybean become an environmentally responsible adhesive? 
• Its comparison to other tapes on the market, in terms of performance and sustainability 
• Biggest challenges as they worked through the process of idea to market-ready product 
• The role of the consumer in their creation process 
• How they balanced team structure and skillsets across disciplines during development 
• What this innovative pursuit taught them about their own professional development 
• How they approached SoySeal from a business and commercialization perspective rather than just a technical and scientific idea 
• The critical role of Indiana Soybean Alliance and Indiana farmers to help mentor and influence their process 
• On-campus resources that enabled their team’s success 
• Advice they have for student entrepreneurs 
• Future plans for the team