We launched in September of 2023 with the goal to build a community out of the scattered founders and builders creating things across campus. We believe that all founders and builders should have a community of like-minded people supporting and encouraging them. Building is hard! Going at it alone is strenuous and taxing on our mental health. So we started with our friends, and it became huge pretty fast. It turns out, Purdue is full of builders, founders, and entrepreneurs. It was just a matter of spreading the word!
Founders has made huge strides in the past few months, and we’ve seen the number of startups in our ecosystem double since January 2024. We’ve managed to assemble nearly 400 of the highest-caliber students on campus, with at least 150 active builders involved in our community. In half a semester, Founders has become the fastest growing startup organization in the BIG10.
With outpouring alumni and community support, we will soon be launching an alumni community and venture capital connection portal, plus several new initiatives to engage high school students, connect satellite campuses, and get Purdue students to startup events in Indianapolis and Chicago.
Practical
Startups are hard. Why add more BS on top of it? When building Founders, our north star objective was to be practical. We found the perfect balance between being brutally honesty and offering over-idealistic advice. Simple solutions win.
Lean
Early stage startups are built on the concept of launching the Minimum Viable Product. We take that to heart with every new initiative and program we establish. Staying lean not only keeps us alive, but shows how far we can go with every dollar that is donated.
Focused
We are laser focused on supporting those who already have an idea and have been actively working to make it into a reality. There are plenty of resources at Purdue for those who don't have ideas, are looking to work at a startup, or anything else. We redirect everyone to the best programs that can provide the most value to them.
