Tech Ventures

Lean LaunchPad course offered for Fall 2013

Lean LaunchPad is coming to Purdue University for the first time as part of a new course for graduate and undergraduate students.

A collaboration of the colleges of Technology and Engineering, Krannert School of Management and the Industrial Design program, the course was created especially for students who want to start a business. The class will be offered during Fall 2013.

Tech Ventures, Facebook’s Open Compute Project to spark student ingenuity

In its first sponsored competition with a university, Facebook has partnered with Tech Ventures, a technology commercialization program in Purdue University’s College of Technology, to sponsor a student challenge through the Open Compute Project.

The Open Compute Challenge asks students to combine efficiency (minimizing the cost of waste and recycling) with sustainability. Participants will be charged with designing a biodegradable server chassis, which is the shell that holds all of the server components. Servers are typically replaced every four years.

NSF i-Corps grant helps fine-tune product, business model

Photo: Jeff Ackerman and Justin Siepel (far right) meet with client prospects as part of their NSF i-Corps project.)

Musculoskeletal injuries are the second most common reason to go to the doctor and cost $850 billion a year in the United States alone. Through their National Science Foundation (NSF) funded research on robotics, a Purdue graduate student and his advisor have created a device to help alleviate such injuries for people who carry heavy luggage, briefcases and even medical stretchers.

Ignite ideas: Commercialize

Matt Mckillip is a man on fire. As executive director of Tech Ventures, he has a passion for commercializing ideas, which is vital to Purdue and the surrounding community. The ultimate vision is this: take great ideas, mix in support and expertise, and push the product into the marketplace. This dynamic mixture will help give new discoveries the spark they need to transform from idea to world-changing venture.