# Every Way to Build at Purdue — The Fall 2026 Entrepreneurship Kickoff

> buildpurdue and The HIVE are hosting the Fall 2026 Purdue Entrepreneurship Kickoff on Thursday, September 3 — 100+ students, 20+ organizations, and every entrepreneurship resource on campus in one room for two hours.

By Elliot Drel · August 19, 2026 · 2 min read

Source: https://www.buildpurdue.org/blog/entrepreneurship-kickoff-2026

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**Every way to build at Purdue.**

buildpurdue and The HIVE are hosting the Fall 2026 Purdue Entrepreneurship Kickoff. 100+ students and 20+ organizations, in one building, for two hours.

**Thursday, September 3 | 6:00-8:00 PM | The HIVE, BHEE 270 | Free for all**

**RSVP + Add to Calendar: [buildpurdue.org/kickoff](/kickoff)**

Purdue has more support for student founders than anyone realizes. The problem is that it is scattered across a dozen offices, programs, funds, and clubs. Most students find it by accident, junior year, one program at a time.

What if you could come to a room for two hours that was a one-stop shop for all of the best and most relevant entrepreneurship resources?

If that sounds like something that would help you, [RSVP HERE](/kickoff)

## Who you'll meet

- [Purdue Innovates](https://www.purdue.edu/innovates/)
- [16Tech](https://16tech.com/)
- [Elevate Ventures](https://elevateventures.com/)
- [Venture X](https://business.purdue.edu/faculty/kostasg/venture-x.php)
- [The Anvil](https://www.anvilstartups.com/)
- [Mitch Daniels School of Business](https://business.purdue.edu/)
- [The HIVE](https://engineering.purdue.edu/HIVE)
- [The buildpurdue Cohort](/cohort)
- [The Certificate in Entrepreneurship](https://www.purdue.edu/entr/)
- The Springer Certificate
- The Burton Morgan Competition
- [Roll Tack Ventures](https://rolltackventures.com/)
- [Greater Lafayette Commerce](https://www.greaterlafayettecommerce.com/)

Plus student orgs including the [Humanoid Robot Club](https://www.humanoidrobot.club/), Amplify Purdue, Purdue Stack, Purdue Vital and 9 more …([Find the full list here](/kickoff#premium-partner)).

Between them, these orgs run:

- a $100,000 total prize pitch competition
- commercialization and startup funding
- a two-semester venture program with up to $5,000 per team
- early-stage VC
- makerspace and accelerator access
- an Indianapolis innovation district
- and the founder community you'd actually build with

## How the event works

Show up at 6pm sharp, so you don't miss out on anything!

You will get the chance to speak one-on-one with all the partners in the room, as well as earn prizes for participating in night-long games!

> HINT: The prizes are worth more than an NFT and less than a Tesla.

Keep an eye out for the next email, for more info!

## Who it's for

Any Purdue student. You do not need an idea, a team, a cofounder, or any startup experience.

If you have never thought about building anything and are curious what that even looks like, this is the best event of the year to show up. If you are already building and looking for money, space, or a first hire, the people who can help will be here too.

Undergrad, master's, PhD, any major. Free and open to everyone.

137 students already have a spot. These people come together once a year. Are you sure you are willing to miss that?

**RSVP NOW + Add to Calendar:** [**buildpurdue.org/kickoff**](/kickoff)

For any questions, email [buildp@purdue.edu](mailto:buildp@purdue.edu)