John Ange (JA) Kernodle (computer engineering ’20) grew up doing two things: helping run his mother’s market and developing an early love for programming apps. Now, Kernodle works in Dallas for an AI Company while also running the appLocally Grown. 

Locally Grown helps bridge the gap between farmers and consumers. Starting out as a passion project, Kernodle wanted to create an app to help farmers tackle what he says was a commonality.  Kernodle sought to solve problems in both farmer accessibility to the market and consumer demand. 

“They hate being digital marketers,” Kernodle says, “Nobody starts with the intention of ‘I can’t wait to set up my online store’”. 

Kernodle notes that this was also an issue on the consumer side, wanting to give access to customers seeking to buy produce locally.

So how did Kernodle do it?

With help from the NC State Entrepreneurship Clinic’s Andrews Launch Accelerator (ALA) Kernodle was able to transform his idea. 

“I think I’m the only person that’s ever been through Andrews [Launch Accelerator] twice,” Kernodle states. “It’s one of the coolest programs that NC State has to offer, for sure. It’s my favorite part of NC State as a whole.”

The Andrews Launch Accelerator is the product of a $1,000,000 donation from Lyn and Chip Andrews. The Entrepreneurship Clinic utilizes the NC State Acceleration Fund to help jumpstart entrepreneurial journeys through a 12-week summer program, enabling founders to work on concepts and build their company.

Kernodle remarked about his experience as a double major in electrical and computer engineering. To him, learning about software and robotics was not just a skill he would utilize in his business, but it also helped him accomplish his dreams from when he was just a kid. 

ECE 383 was a class that Kernodle specifically mentioned. The class, titled Introduction to Entrepreneurship and New Product Development, was nothing like the courses Kernodle had taken before. “It was a very different experience than anything else that you did in [the College of] Engineering.” 

With experiences from NC State’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship program as well as his engineering classes, Kernodle’s dreams took off. 

Today, his nonprofit, Locally Grown, spans beyond the state of North Carolina, helping those in South Carolina and Virginia. The USDA also awarded Kernodle about $250,000 through the Farmer’s Market Promotion Program. 

Brian Locklear, a client from Country Village Farms — which supports disabled veterans — had a friend named Luke comment on the app’s effectiveness. “Thanks to Locally Grown, I can support my fellow veteran’s operation, Country Village Farms in Whiteville, NC, no matter where I’m stationed. Their organic CSA box arrives fresh each week, and I’ve even sent a farm bundle to buddies across the state. The app’s direct-from-farm model lets us stay connected while enjoying top-notch local food.”

Through his experiences at NC State and the Andrews Launch Accelerator, Kernodle moves mountains to uplift farming communities throughout the South.