Builder's Brief

Issue 8 | August 24, 2026

1. Stop Trying to Figure Things Out Alone

One of the most beautiful things about the startup community is the shared struggle. Everyone knows what it feels like to not know where to start, where to look, or who to ask for help.

I’ve been in this boat myself. Honestly, I find myself back in it all the time. There’s always a new problem you haven’t seen before. A person you don’t know how to reach. A question you don’t even know you should be asking yet.

We tend to think the people who build great companies somehow had a map. Most of them didn’t.

Before Canva became Canva, Melanie Perkins spent years trying to get the company off the ground. She needed investors. She needed engineers. She needed a technical cofounder. And for a long time, she couldn’t find any of them.

Then she met investor Bill Tai at a conference. Bill introduced her to Lars Rasmussen, the co-founder of Google Maps. Lars started helping her navigate the technical side of building the company, and eventually introduced her to Cameron Adams.

Cameron became Canva’s technical cofounder.

That introduction gave them the technical team and credibility they needed to start raising investment.

That’s the thing about building: you usually don’t need to know everyone. You just need to find the next person who can help.

At buildpurdue, our mission is to make that easier. We want to remove the barriers between builders and the people, resources, programs, and communities that can help them move forward.

That’s why we’re hosting the Purdue Entrepreneurship Kickoff on September 3 from 6–8 PM at the HIVE.

We’re putting as much of Purdue’s startup community as we can into one room. Come with a company. Come with an idea. Come with absolutely no idea where to start.

You don’t have to figure it out alone.

Just show up and meet the people who can help you find your next step.

→ RSVP at buildpurdue.org/kickoff 

1. Founder Opportunities

1. Purdue 2026 Entrepreneurship Kickoff: Meet founders, partners, and resources at the HIVE. When: Sept. 3, 6–8 PM. Best for: anyone exploring an idea or building already. RSVP.

2. Grainger Engineering Tech Startup Challenge: Student startup competition with $200,000 in funding and prizes. Deadline: Sept. 14. Best for: technical student teams with at least one graduate student. Apply: here.

3. MLH Fellowship: A remote, 12-week internship alternative: work on real open-source projects with mentors and receive a stipend. Best for: students building software-engineering experience. Apply: here.

4. YC Startup Jobs: Browse internship and startup-job opportunities from YC companies with one profile. Best for: students seeking hands-on startup experience. Explore: here.

5. America’s Startup: A national startup competition connected to America250, offering up to $1M in prizes and feedback from judges including Steve Wozniak. Best for: founders ready to pitch a high-impact venture. Apply: here.

More internship positions and opportunities will be posted next week!