College of Science & Entrepreneurship Alumnus Making An Impact

Spencer Brown, a 2016 Purdue College of Science and ENTR alumnus, as well as a participant in Purdue’s Honors College began his entrepreneurial endeavors even before stepping foot on Purdue’s campus. In high school, Spencer became the Founder of Exalted Collectibles, an online trading card retailer that drew over 2,000 customers in a year.

Spencer then brought his innovative spirit to Purdue in the fall of 2013 where he saw a need for students to be better connected to support coursework collaboration. As a result, he created Study Hub, an app used by over 85% of 300 Purdue Honors Engineering first-year students to work together in real-time on course study guides.

After leaving Purdue, Spencer has worked as a software engineer and a consultant. As a consultant, Spencer said his entrepreneurship education played a crucial role in his daily work. “While consulting, I applied the financial knowledge and lean startup methodology I learned through the Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation program on a daily basis.”

Spencer has also used his entrepreneurship education in his work as a software engineer. Spencer recently joined System1 Biosciences as a Software Engineer where he uses cutting-edge biology and AI to discover drugs to help support people with neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. Most of his time is spent building data pipelines to process information collected by lab instruments in addition to building a bespoke experiment management application for the biologists of the lab. His daily tasks include the use of advanced software (AI frameworks and big data pipelines) as well as biological systems (stem cells, organoids, and CRISPR).

“The Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation program helped me understand startups and organizations beyond product development (i.e. accounting, fundraising, and negotiating). It was also a great way to get experience working in diverse teams.”

Spencer Brown is one to see a need and fulfill it, a trait of any successful entrepreneur. He is a Boilermaker Alumnus to watch as he uses his innovative spirit to make an impact and transform industries.