Research Foundation News

November 13, 2018

Startups from Purdue, Notre Dame to compete in business plan competition, receive $30,000 in awards

Massey battery Scott Massey, CEO of Heliponix LLC, which makes a kitchen appliance that grows garden vegetables year-round, will be among those teams from Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame at a competition sponsored by venture capital firm BlueSky Capital where a total of $30,000 in awards will be given. Here Massey is seen pitching at a previous competition at Purdue@Westgate. (Image provided) Download image

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Startups from Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame can get a boost through a pitch competition sponsored by venture capital firm BlueSky Capital where a total of $30,000 in awards will be given, including $15,000 for the top prize.

The competition involving four startups from each university will be held 6:15 p.m. Thursday (Nov. 15) in the Purdue Railyard coworking space managed by the Purdue Research Foundation. The coworking space is located in the Kurz Purdue Technology Center, 1281 Win Hentschel Blvd. in West Lafayette. The event is open to the public.

BlueSky Capital partners with collaborators to contribute to the development communities and economies both locally and globally. The Purdue startups competing are:

  • Heliponix LLC, which makes a kitchen appliance that grows garden vegetables year-round.
  • Perceive Inc., which helps high-end retail stores improve customer service through automated coaching of sales associates.
  • RightFit, an intelligent software system that enables health care facilities to deliver the best qualiity of care, while controlling costs.
  • Willeder, which has developed an advanced analytical tool that helps businesses find better-qualified candidates.

The teams will present their pitches to a panel of three judges. The judges will be Madison Hammon, the managing director at BlueSky Capital; Garret Goldberg, a partner at pre-seed venture capital firm Bee Partners; and Sunil Nagaraj, manager partner at Ubiquity Ventures.

The competition is being conducted in partnership with the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship.

About Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship

The Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship is the gateway for innovation and entrepreneurship on campus. It houses a number of programs and competitions for student and faculty entrepreneurs. The Purdue Foundry, launched in 2013 by the Purdue Research Foundation to enhance the university’s robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, is housed here, along with Purdue Ventures,  which provides and fosters meaningful access to capital and talent for Purdue entrepreneurs. The center also houses the Certificate in Entrepreneurship in Innovation Program, which is administered through Purdue’s Office of the Provost, and is the primary vehicle for delivering entrepreneurship education to over 1,800 students across campus each year.

Writer: Zeina Kayyali, zmkayyali@prf.org

Purdue Research Foundation contact: Tom Coyne, 765-588-1044, tjcoyne@prf.org

Source: Arnold Chen, chen2503@purdue.edu 


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