University of Florida Student Abdurrahman Bejjaj, 22, is the Founder and CEO of Ignition Packaging, where he is building biomaterials that replace plastic and Styrofoam. He is earning his bachelor’s degree in geomatics and geospatial analysis from UF/IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences and a certificate in Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals and Applications.

His goal: By transforming agricultural byproducts into high-performance packaging, he focuses on eliminating waste across global supply chains through solutions that are biodegradable, cost-competitive, and structurally viable.

Bejjaj has served as an energy consultant with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Industrial Assessment Center, he advised manufacturers across the southeastern United States on cost savings and sustainability implications within real-world factory operations and supply chains and has gained direct insight into industrial efficiency and implementation at scale. He served as Eco-Activator Director at Nucleate, a student-led organization that represents the largest global community of bio-innovators, supporting and connecting biotech and sustainability startups to the resources and capital needed to scale, further strengthening his experience across innovation, commercialization, and venture development.

Bejjaj has pitched his business concept and won several competitions including the recent F-300 Accelerator pitch competition held in May in Newberry. Bejjaj took home the first-place prize of $3,300.

He was awarded $25,000 from Warrington College of Business Big Idea Competition in 2025, $10,000 from the 2025 Ocean Exchange Collegiate Award, and $5,000 in the 2026 Pitch GNV Rising Star contest.

Q: How did you come up with the idea for Ignition?

A: My interest in biodegradable materials started when I was 10 years old and created a biodegradable plastic from milk for a science fair project. What began as a childhood experiment evolved into a long-term fascination with materials science and sustainability. As I continued learning about the packaging industry, I realized that many sustainable alternatives struggled to achieve widespread adoption because they often required compromises in performance, cost, or scalability. In parallel, billions of pounds of agricultural byproducts are generated each year, representing an underutilized resource with significant potential. I saw an opportunity to bridge that gap by developing packaging materials derived from agricultural byproducts that meet the performance demands of industry while reducing reliance on conventional petroleum-based materials. That vision ultimately led me to founding Ignition Packaging.

Q: What is a summary of all the products you make?

A: Ignition Packaging develops biodegradable packaging materials designed to replace petroleum-based foams. Our current focus is on protective packaging products, including biodegradable packing peanuts, vial encasements, and custom packaging inserts that help protect products during shipping and storage. These materials are designed to provide the performance companies in industries ranging from biotechnology to consumer packaged goods need while offering a more sustainable alternative to conventional packaging solutions.

Q: What material is used to make the packaging items?

A: Ignition Packaging develops materials derived from agricultural byproducts, with cellulose serving as a primary building block. By transforming agricultural residues into high-performance packaging materials, we create products designed to reduce reliance on petroleum-based plastics and foams while utilizing renewable resources that might otherwise go unused.

Q: How has your degree in Geomatics played a role in starting this business?

A: Geomatics is fundamentally about understanding how resources, infrastructure, and people interact across large geographic systems, and that perspective has been incredibly valuable in building Ignition Packaging. Beyond developing sustainable materials, one of our largest bottlenecks is understanding where agricultural byproducts are generated, how they move through supply chains, and how they can be efficiently transformed into packaging products. My background in spatial analysis, data science, and systems modeling has helped me think about those challenges at scale rather than just at the material level. It has allowed me to approach sustainability not only as a scientific problem, but also as a logistics and resource optimization problem. In many ways, my studies in geomatics taught me how to connect economics, infrastructure, and environmental impact into a single system, which is exactly the mindset required to build a scalable, circular-economy company.

Q: What is it about Ignition that contributes to you winning so many awards?

A: First of all, I’m honored by the premise of this question. I believe people connect with both the mission and the practicality of what we’re building. Packaging pollution is a global challenge, but solving it requires solutions that are not only environmentally responsible but also commercially viable. We’ve focused on developing materials that can fit within existing manufacturing and supply chain systems while delivering real-world performance. Our combination of technical innovation, customer validation, and commitment to scalability has resonated with judges, industry partners, and supporters.

Q: What are your next steps in the business plan?

A: Our next steps are centered on current pilot deployments, customer validation, and scaling production capabilities. We are continuing to optimize our materials, expand testing, and work with customers to evaluate our products in real-world applications. As we progress, our goal is to advance toward increased commercial adoption while continuing to improve performance, manufacturability, and cost competitiveness.

Learn more about SFFGS geomatics programs here.

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