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Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana·University
At a glance
Indexed programs
14
14 currently active
Top direct funding
No direct cash prizes indexed
Equity
Mixed equity terms
Program mix
9
Venture Fund · Student Organization · Pitch Competition
Research verdict
Research in progress.
Programs to explore
Compare funding, equity, and timing before you apply.
14 programs indexed
Pitch Competition
Boiler Launch
Pitch CompetitionAlso: Purdue Boiler Launch, Boiler Launch Chicago
—
funding range
- Last activity
- 2026-07-13
- Participants
- Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students
- Verification
- Verified
Moonshot Pitch Challenge
Pitch CompetitionAlso: Purdue Moonshot
—
funding range
- Last activity
- 2026-07-13
- Participants
- Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students
- Verification
- Verified
Purdue New Venture Challenge
Pitch CompetitionAlso: PNVC, New Venture Challenge
—
funding range
- Last activity
- 2026-07-13
- Participants
- Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students
- Verification
- Verified
Venture Fund
Ag-Celerator
Venture FundAlso: Purdue Ag-Celerator, Ag-Celerator Fund
—
funding range
- Last activity
- 2026-07-13
- Participants
- Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students +more
- Verification
- Verified
Elevate Purdue Foundry Fund
Venture FundAlso: Elevate Foundry Fund, Black & Gold Investment Fund
—
funding range
- Last activity
- 2026-07-13
- Participants
- Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students +more
- Verification
- Verified
Purdue Ventures
Venture FundAlso: Purdue Innovates Ventures, Purdue Investment Funds
—
funding range
- Last activity
- 2026-07-13
- Participants
- Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students +more
- Verification
- Verified
Incubator
Firestarter
IncubatorAlso: Purdue Firestarter, Firestarter Pre-Company Program
—
funding range
- Last activity
- 2026-07-13
- Participants
- Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students +more
- Verification
- Verified
Purdue Innovates Incubator
IncubatorAlso: Purdue Incubator, Purdue Startup Incubator
—
funding range
- Last activity
- 2026-07-13
- Participants
- Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students +more
- Verification
- Verified
Known startups and winners
Competition winners and notable student ventures from our research.
Adranos
Purdue University
Solid rocket fuel company (ALITEC); Purdue-connected startup acquired by Anduril Industries in 2023.
Bridgit
3rd place
placement
Purdue University · Boiler Launch
3rd place at BoilerLaunch 2026 (Purdue), hosted by The Anvil in Chicago.
CalcGPT
Purdue University · Purdue New Venture Challenge
2026 Purdue New Venture Challenge prize winner.
ClearBlade
Purdue University
Edge computing and IoT platform; Purdue-affiliated startup outcome.
echoSURE
$22,500
prize won
Purdue University · Purdue New Venture Challenge
2026 Purdue New Venture Challenge First Place + Crowd Favorite ($22,500); medical device for pediatric feeding-tube placement verification.
GeniPhys
Purdue University · Office of Technology Commercialization
Regenerative collagen technology spun out of Purdue; raised a $6M Series A.
Kova Group
Purdue University · Purdue New Venture Challenge
2026 Purdue New Venture Challenge prize winner; student belonging platform.
Novosteo
$60,000
prize won
Purdue University · Elevate Purdue Foundry Fund
Bone-healing therapeutics; $60K Elevate Purdue Foundry Fund Gold Award; co-founded by Prof. Philip Low.
PipeLine
1st place
placement
Purdue University · Boiler Launch
1st place at BoilerLaunch 2026 (Purdue), the Midwest's largest student-run startup pitch competition, held in Chicago.
Pluvicto
Purdue University · Office of Technology Commercialization
Prostate cancer drug built on Purdue-licensed technology; generated $100M+ in royalty interest for the university.
Rabbit Tractors
Purdue University
Autonomous farming equipment; Purdue Foundry-connected venture.
Spirrow Therapeutics
Purdue University
ARDS treatment developer; Purdue-connected startup and Elevate Nexus pitch winner.
Toucan
Purdue University
Restaurant menu app; Purdue student venture that earned a Y Combinator interview.
VitaWave Tech
$15,000
prize won
Purdue University · Purdue New Venture Challenge
2026 Purdue New Venture Challenge Second Place ($15,000).
Historical winners (research notes)
- echoSURE — Medical device for pediatric feeding tube placement, $22.5K 2026 NVC First Place + Crowd Favorite
- VitaWave Tech — Second place 2026 NVC ($15K)
- CalcGPT — 2026 NVC winner
- Kova Group — 2026 NVC winner (student belonging platform)
- PipeLine — 1st place at BoilerLaunch 2026 (Chicago)
- Bridgit — 3rd place at BoilerLaunch 2026 (Chicago)
- Adranos — Solid rocket fuel, acquired by Anduril Industries (2023)
- Novosteo — Bone healing therapeutic, $60K Gold Award, Philip Low co-founder
- GeniPhys — Collagen innovation, $6M Series A
- Spirrow Therapeutics — ARDS treatment, Elevate Nexus winner
- ClearBlade — Edge computing platform
- Rabbit Tractors — Autonomous farming equipment
- Pluvicto — Prostate cancer drug, $100M+ royalty interest to Purdue
- Toucan — Restaurant menu app, Y Combinator interview
Purdue University
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, with approximately 50,000 students (36,000 undergraduate, 14,000+ graduate/professional). Its entrepreneurship ecosystem is anchored by Purdue Innovates (est. 2023), a unified network consolidating the Office of Technology Commercialization, Incubator, Startup Foundry, and Purdue Ventures. Purdue ranks #3 nationally in university startup creation (IPWatchdog) and #4 nationally in US patents (2025), operating the largest university-affiliated research park in the country.
Ecosystem Overview
- Central hub: Purdue Innovates (Senior VP Brooke Beier) — unifying OTC + Incubator + Startup Foundry + Ventures
- Tech transfer: Office of Technology Commercialization — 145 deals, 466 disclosures, 290 patents (FY24)
- Incubator: Purdue Innovates Incubator (Director Justin Renfrow) — Firestarter, Market Readiness, Summer Sprint, Commercialization Fellowship
- Accelerator: Purdue Innovates Accelerator (3-month, up to $100K SAFE, inaugural cohort 2025)
- Pitch competitions: New Venture Challenge ($50K total), Moonshot Pitch Challenge, BoilerLaunch ($10K+)
- Student hub: The Anvil (student-run, 1,500+ students, 80+ startups, BoilerLaunch)
- Education: Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (3,000+ students/year, 200+ majors), Burton D. Morgan Center
- Venture funds: Ag-Celerator ($2M, up to $100K), Elevate Purdue Foundry Fund ($2M+ deployed, Black $20K/Gold up to $80K), Foundry Investment Fund, Purdue Startup Fund, Angel Network
- Innovation district: Discovery Park District ($1B+, Convergence Center, 5G/6G infrastructure)
- Research park: Purdue Research Park (largest university-affiliated, 200+ companies, 4 locations statewide)
- I-Corps: NSF I-Corps Hub: Great Lakes Region co-lead
- Alumni network: Silicon Valley Boilermaker Innovation Group (SVBIG), Pitch for Mentors
News & articles
14 news articles and official sources documenting entrepreneurship programs, winners, and activity at Purdue University.
14 sources
News & articles(2)
Purdue Student Startups Win $50K in 2026 New Venture Challenge
Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue Student Startups Win $50K in 2026 New Venture Challenge
Four teams of Purdue student entrepreneurs won a combined $50,000 at the finals of the 2026 New Venture Challenge, held at the Purdue Innovates Startup and Technology Expo (April 22–24, 2026). echoSURE took First Place and Crowd Favorite ($22,500); VitaWave Tech placed Second ($15,000); CalcGPT and Kova Group also won prizes.
Read on Purdue University
The Anvil (Purdue University)
BoilerLaunch 2026 Winners
BoilerLaunch 2026 — the Midwest's largest student-run startup pitch competition, hosted by The Anvil at Purdue — was held April 11–12, 2026 in Chicago. PipeLine (Purdue) won first place, Foreko (University of Arkansas) second, and Bridgit (Purdue) third.
Read on The Anvil (Purdue University)
Official sources(12)
Purdue Research Foundation
Purdue Accelerator
The Purdue Accelerator is a 3-month intensive program for Purdue-affiliated startups to accelerate their path to market and investment. It provides mentorship, curriculum, networking, and access to the Purdue Ventures fund suite, with cohorts selected on a competitive basis.
Read on Purdue Research Foundation
Purdue Research Foundation
Ag-Celerator
The Ag-Celerator is a $2 million proof-of-concept fund focused on commercializing Purdue agricultural technologies. It provides grants and investments to Purdue-affiliated agtech and life sciences startups, operating as part of the Purdue Ventures fund suite under Purdue Innovates.
Read on Purdue Research Foundation
Purdue Research Foundation
The Anvil
The Anvil is a student-led entrepreneurship and innovation organization under the Purdue Innovates umbrella. It serves as a community and launchpad for student founders, offering workshops, mentorship, networking events, and access to the broader Purdue startup ecosystem.
Read on Purdue Research Foundation
Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship
Purdue Research Foundation
Purdue Research Foundation
Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship
The Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship is the academic home for entrepreneurship education at Purdue, housed within the College of Engineering. It offers undergraduate and graduate certificates in entrepreneurship and innovation, courses, and co-curricular programming for students across all disciplines.
Read on Purdue Research Foundation
Purdue Research Foundation
Elevate Purdue Foundry Fund
The Elevate Purdue Foundry Fund is a venture capital fund that provides equity investment to high-growth Purdue-affiliated startups. It is part of the Purdue Ventures fund suite and focuses on companies emerging from Purdue research that have significant commercial traction and clear path to scale.
Read on Purdue Research Foundation
Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Purdue Research Foundation
Purdue Research Foundation
Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
The Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation is an academic credential offered through the Burton D. Morgan Center. It is available at both undergraduate and graduate levels, requiring a set of core courses and experiential electives open to students from any Purdue college.
Read on Purdue Research Foundation
Purdue Research Foundation
Firestarter
Firestarter is a 7-week cohort-based program for early-stage Purdue-affiliated startups, designed to validate business models and prepare founders for the accelerator or direct investment. It is a pipeline program feeding into the broader Purdue Innovates ecosystem.
Read on Purdue Research Foundation
Purdue Research Foundation
Purdue Incubator
The Purdue Incubator provides co-working space, lab space, mentorship, and business support services for early-stage Purdue-affiliated startups. It is one of the key programs under the Purdue Innovates umbrella, offering a structured pathway from idea to company formation.
Read on Purdue Research Foundation
Purdue Research Foundation
Purdue Innovates
Purdue Innovates is the central hub for entrepreneurship and innovation at Purdue University, launched in 2023. It unifies technology commercialization, startup incubation, corporate partnerships, and venture funding under a single umbrella organization. The site details the full continuum of services from disclosure to licensing to startup creation.
Read on Purdue Research Foundation
Purdue Research Foundation
New Venture Challenge
The Purdue New Venture Challenge (NVC) is a pitch competition offering up to $50,000 in non-dilutive funding for Purdue-affiliated startups. It is a flagship program under Purdue Innovates and is typically held annually with multiple tracks.
Read on Purdue Research Foundation
Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization
Purdue Research Foundation
Purdue Research Foundation
Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization
The Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) manages the university's intellectual property portfolio, including patenting, licensing, and industry partnerships. It operates under Purdue Innovates and has consistently ranked among the top US university tech transfer offices by patent volume and licensing revenue.
Read on Purdue Research Foundation
Purdue Research Foundation
Purdue Ventures
Purdue Ventures is a suite of investment funds that deploy capital into Purdue-affiliated startups across multiple stages and sectors. Funds include the Purdue Foundry Fund, Ag-Celerator, and other thematic vehicles providing both equity and non-dilutive investment.
Read on Purdue Research Foundation
This profile lists 14 programs for Purdue University. Some details may be outdated until a director verifies them.
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