At a glance
Indexed programs
15
All currently active
Top direct funding
$100,000
Burton D. Morgan Venture Concept Competition
Equity
Mixed equity terms
Program mix
9
Venture Fund · Student Organization · Pitch Competition
Programs to explore
Compare funding, equity, and timing before you apply.
15 programs indexed
Pitch Competition
Venture Fund
Incubator
Startups
Post a startupAdranos
Solid rocket fuel company (ALITEC); Purdue-connected startup acquired by Anduril Industries in 2023.
Bridgit
3rd place at BoilerLaunch 2026 (Purdue), hosted by The Anvil in Chicago.
CalcGPT
2026 Purdue New Venture Challenge prize winner.
ClearBlade
Edge computing and IoT platform; Purdue-affiliated startup outcome.
echoSURE
2026 Purdue New Venture Challenge First Place + Crowd Favorite ($22,500); medical device for pediatric feeding-tube placement verification.
GeniPhys
Regenerative collagen technology spun out of Purdue; raised a $6M Series A.
Kova Group
2026 Purdue New Venture Challenge prize winner; student belonging platform.
Novosteo
Bone-healing therapeutics; $60K Elevate Purdue Foundry Fund Gold Award; co-founded by Prof. Philip Low.
PipeLine
1st place at BoilerLaunch 2026 (Purdue), the Midwest's largest student-run startup pitch competition, held in Chicago.
Pluvicto
Prostate cancer drug built on Purdue-licensed technology; generated $100M+ in royalty interest for the university.
Rabbit Tractors
Autonomous farming equipment; Purdue Foundry-connected venture.
Spirrow Therapeutics
ARDS treatment developer; Purdue-connected startup and Elevate Nexus pitch winner.
Toucan
Restaurant menu app; Purdue student venture that earned a Y Combinator interview.
VitaWave Tech
2026 Purdue New Venture Challenge Second Place ($15,000).
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Known Startups and Winners
- 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
More about this ecosystem
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
6 articles
News & articles
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)
University pages
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
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
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
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
Compiled from public sources; not reviewed or endorsed by the school. Request a correction or removal.