Every way to build at Purdue.
Entrepreneurship Kickoff 2026
When
Thursday, September 3
6:00 – 8:00 PM
Where
The HIVE
On the floor
20+ orgs
programs and funds
Coming
Open to everyone
Free, and open to every major at any level of experience. Co-hosted with The HIVE.
Come with any starting point.
Exploring
Interested in startups, technology, design, business, or research, with no idea yet.
Starting
You have an idea or a project and need teammates, feedback, or a next step.
Building
You are building something real and need funding, mentors, customers, or talent.
What happens when you arrive
See who is here
Every Purdue and Indiana organization that supports student builders, in one room.
Ask what you need
Funding, programs, commercialization, workspace. Each organization below lists what to ask them about.
Meet other builders
Students working on ideas, and students still looking for one.
Leave with a next move
Which programs to apply to, and which people to email.
Who will be there
Premium Partners
Featured on the official Kickoff shirt
Premium partnerHIVE
Premium partnerbuildpurdue Cohort
Premium partnerMitch Daniels School of Business
Premium partnerCertificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Premium partnerFortitude Fund
Premium partnerNextBetter Ventures
Premium partnerAmplify Purdue
Partners
Purdue Innovates
Ask them about licensing research, commercialization, and Purdue’s startup funds.
Commercialization · Funding
16Tech
Ask them about lab and makerspace access, and plugging into the Indianapolis innovation scene.
Workspace · Community
Elevate Ventures
Ask them about early funding, what makes a company investable, and Indiana startup resources.
Funding · Early stage
Roll Tack Ventures
Ask them what an early-stage investor actually looks for, and how they work with student founders.
Funding · Early stage
VisionTech
Ask them what angel investors look for, and how an early company gets in front of one.
Funding · Early stage
Venture X
Ask them about the two-semester sequence and applying for up to $5,000 in team funding.
Funding · Programs
Anvil
Ask them about BoilerLaunch, the Boiler accelerator, and finding teammates for an idea.
Team formation · Accelerator
Burton D. Morgan Venture Concept Competition
Ask them how to enter, what the competition looks for, and how to test your idea.
Competition · Idea stage
Springer Certificate
Ask them what the certificate covers and which students it is designed for.
Coursework · Programs
Hacking for Defense
Ask them how a team gets a problem, and what students build over a semester.
Coursework · Programs
Greater Lafayette Commerce
Ask them about finding local customers, and what it takes to start a business in Greater Lafayette.
Customers · Community
MatchBOX
Ask them about desk space off campus, and who else works out of the building.
Workspace · Community
Networking room
Purdue student clubs, in their own room alongside the main floor.
Humanoid Robotics Club
Ask them how to join a build team, and what a hardware project actually needs from people.
Team formation · Community
ML@Purdue
Ask them how to join a project team, and what an ML project needs from a non-ML person.
Team formation · Community
Boiler Blockchain
Ask them what they are building this semester, and how to get started with no background.
Team formation · Community
Purdue Venture Consulting
Ask them how a student venture gets a consulting team, and what they work on.
Community · Early stage
Purdue Stack
Purdue Vital
What you leave with.
- Two to four organizations you can actually use
- Founders and builders to work with
- Specific people to follow up with
- A next step for your idea
Register.
Thursday, September 3, 2026 / 6:00 – 8:00 PM / The HIVE
Free and open to everyone.
Questions
Do I need a startup or an idea?
No. Much of the room will be in the same position, and several organizations there work specifically with people who have not started yet.
Is this only for business and engineering students?
No. Every major is welcome. The teams forming here need design, science, communication, agriculture, health, education, and liberal arts students.
Can I come alone?
Yes, and most people will. Each partner below tells you what to ask them, so you always have an opening line.
Is this a pitch competition?
No. Nobody presents anything, and there is nothing to prepare.
What should I wear?
Campus casual. Whatever you wore to class.
Do I have to stay the whole time?
No. Come when you can and leave when you need to.
See more Q&AShow less
Do I need to bring anything?
No. Bring a way to save contacts — your phone is fine.
Can I bring a friend?
Yes. Ask them to register too, so we plan food and space for both of you.
Is there food?
Yes.
I am a first-year. Is it too early for me?
No. Most of the programs in the room want more time with you, not less.
I am a senior. Is it too late?
No. Several of the organizations there work with people past graduation, and a few fund alumni-founded companies.
I am a grad student or postdoc. Does this apply to me?
Yes. Purdue Innovates works on commercializing research, which is the likeliest path if your idea came out of a lab.
Do I have to talk to everyone?
No. Two to four organizations you can actually use beats a lap of the whole room.
What if I already have a company?
Come with a specific ask. The people here can give you introductions, funding paths, and first customers.
Can I pitch my idea to the investors there?
Talk to them, but treat it as a conversation. Nobody is making a decision that evening.
Will there be anything after this event?
Yes. buildpurdue runs Nightshift co-working, workshops, and speaker events through the year, and most of the organizations you meet run their own programs.
Is the venue accessible?
The HIVE is accessible. If you need anything specific from us, email buildp@purdue.edu.
What if I register and then cannot make it?
Cancel your RSVP if you get the chance, so our headcount stays honest, and come to the next one.
Not a student?
Two other ways into the same night.
Alumni, investors, founders
Come as a guest
Spend the evening with the students building here, and the programs and funds around them.
Programs, funds, companies
Bring a table
Two hours in front of the room. We provide the table and it costs your organization nothing.