Fall 2025 newsletter
ENTR News
From Campus Dreams to Real-World Impact: Purdue Entrepreneurs on the Rise
A note from Nathalie
From Campus Dreams to Real-World Impact: Purdue Entrepreneurs on the Rise
This issue celebrates the remarkable creativity, resilience, and ambition of Purdue students and alumni turning their ideas into thriving ventures. Whether transforming custom sneakers into a nationwide brand, like Alex Andrews of a22customs, building a global fashion label, like Emily Brown of Maren Made, developing cutting-edge robotics and AI innovations, like Aarav Garg, or revitalizing economic opportunity in Gary through Emmani Ellis’s IronWorkz, these Boilermakers are demonstrating what it means to be entrepreneurial.
Each story highlights the power of Purdue’s Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation program to inspire bold thinking, equip students with practical skills, and connect them with the resources and community needed to transform passion into purpose, one venture at a time.
FEATURED STORY
His “Sole” Purpose: Alex Andrews Turns Custom Shoes into Thriving Business
When Purdue senior Alex Andrews painted a pair of Pikachu-themed shoes as a graduation gift for a friend, he never imagined it would lead to a business that now serves professional, Olympic, and NCAA athletes across the country. A Design Studies major in the College of Liberal Arts, Andrews combines his artistic talent with business knowledge while also pursuing a Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation to sharpen his entrepreneurial skills.
