Meet Bill Berzonsky, Founder @ AgSolaire 

AgSolaire is an agtech startup with the mission of supporting researchers and producers alike. Its flagship product in the works is the AgSolaire Smart Seed Thresher, a portable device that runs on renewable energy and streamlines data collection of seeds. 

Berzonsky was accepted into the 2026 Nebraska Innovation Fellows out of the Nebraska Innovation Studio in Lincoln to prototype and build. He said he has used the associated Frontier Tech Lab and has also begun working with the Nebraska Manufacturing Extension Partnership. 

What inspired you to become an entrepreneur or support other entrepreneurs?

I wanted to start my own business for quite a while, but the impetus, perhaps more than the inspiration, came after I left a 35-year career in plant breeding. 

I felt I could build on some ideas I had formulated that brought advanced machine vision technologies and renewable energy technologies to address challenges in agriculture. 

What advice would you give yourself if you could go back in time to when you were just starting out?

I would advise my previous self that it will take much longer than you think to build a successful commercial business from scratch. Just realize there will be times when things seemingly advance rapidly, but other times when things are moving along quite slowly. 

How do you stay motivated when things feel overwhelming — or stagnant?

I like to run, and I have completed marathons and half marathons. When things are moving slowly for my business, or seem stagnant, I just tell myself that it’s like running long distance. 

That is, keep moving and keep your eyes on the finish line, i.e., successfully establishing a sustainable business. 

Also, just like running, I can look back at just how far I’ve gone and what I’ve achieved. That encourages me to push through the slow times and try to finish what I started.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve overcome and how did you overcome it?

I feel like the biggest challenge exists in my own mind. I once told a career coach that I wanted to start my own business, but it felt really scary because of the financial risks and because of putting my ideas out for all to see and critique. 

She said to just keep thinking about how passionate you are about building something. I guess applying that philosophy is how I continue to try to overcome the fear. 

How can the Nebraska community support you?

I’ve found the Nebraska entrepreneurial community to be extremely supportive already, and I’ve never met an Nebraska entrepreneur or a founder of a startup who is not willing to help or share their experiences if asked. That’s been extremely encouraging. 

In the broader picture, I’ve found the state and state government agencies to really do well in fostering deserving startups with needed economic support. Even when state budgets are tight, I would encourage those agencies to continue to fuel the state’s economic engine by supporting startups through programs, such as the Nebraska prototype and academic R&D grants.