How Dylan Glass Turned a Farmer's Side Project into a Startup

Entrepreneurial journeys can start virtually anywhere, from factory floors to college

classrooms. But while their origins vary, the spark is always the same—finding a problem

that needs solving. For Dylan Glass (Bachelor of Computer Science ‘27), the spark came

while working on a farm.

Dylan was introduced to farming while studying in the University of Guelph’s plant science program. After graduating with a degree in botany, Dylan started working as a farm manager at Nith Valley Organics in Bright, Ontario.

“I wanted to learn as much as possible from these people who are so passionate about

what they do,” he said. “One of the main things I learned was that farming is so capital

intensive. Everything they use is expensive, from seeds to the physical equipment. They

have to make so many trade-offs to make ends meet”.

In addition to botany, Dylan said he’s always been interested in computer science. After

learning about Conestoga College’s Bachelors of Computer Science program, he saw an

opportunity to put his love of agriculture together with technology to develop less

expensive solutions for problems he saw farmers face every day.

Dylan is developing a semi-autonomous auto-steering system for heavy farm equipment.

Existing solutions require costly subscriptions to use, and Dylan said his system can provide the same solution at a price point far below what’s available today. The idea came from a farmer who had started to build an auto-steering system for himself.

“He had no interest in turning it into a business, he just wanted this to get his work done,”

Dylan said. “He told me I could run with it and gave me the resources he had used. I

ultimately have to thank him for this idea”.

An example of auto-steering in action is for farmers using a planter for corn seeds. Corn

needs specific spacing to grow well, and requires the planter operator to precisely navigate the field.

“Anything where you're planting, spraying, or harvesting, is the kind of work where you

need the precision of going directly down the line that you drove on before, so you don't

trample other crops,” Dylan said. “You also want to avoid overapplying fertilizer, because

that just goes to waste and can be environmentally damaging”.

Just as a planter requires precision for a successful harvest, entrepreneurs need the right tools and environment to truly flourish. For Dylan, finding that precision in business meant looking beyond the field and toward professional mentorship.

At the Conestoga Entrepreneurship Collective, we believe in entrepreneurship for humans—a person-centric approach that views entrepreneurship as a community—and that’s what Dylan discovered with the Venture Lab for Tech (VL4T) program.

Dylan describes learning about the VL4T program as a ‘happy accident’. He met program

coordinator Tracy Jolliffe at a career showcase, and the conversation convinced him it was the right path.

“I was at a career showcase here at Conestoga, and met Tracy Jolliffe, the program

coordinator,” he recalls. “Talking to her made me realize this was something I wanted to

do.”

Beyond mentoring and community, the Venture Lab for Tech program also includes a co-op placement opportunity. Dylan was able to use the placement to work on his solution as part of the program.

As a first-time entrepreneur, Dylan said learning about idea validation was one of the most valuable lessons he didn’t know he needed.

“When you’re working on your own idea, you think it’s the greatest solution ever. Going

through the VL4T program helped me take the idea that I thought was great and turn it into something that my customers actually want and would use,” he said.

Those conversations with customers involved a lot of ‘no's’, something Dylan said he

quickly learned weren’t dead ends, but opportunities to better position his solution.

“It was a lot of getting out of my comfort zone and just showing up at farms and talking

with people. At the time, I was nervous about that, but taking the VL4T program and

putting in the in-person work helped boost my confidence,” Dylan said.

With a roadmap in hand, Dylan is continuing to refine his prototype and gather more

customer feedback. He even has an early adopter ready to go with a pilot this summer.

“When I first joined VL4T, it was more of a cool idea that I wanted to get out there and just test,” he said. “As I moved through the program, I realized this might be bigger than just a side business. I’m getting more interest from farmers asking about it. I can’t say for sure if it’s going to be something, but it’s got potential.”