P01
Flagship Startup Competition
BoilerLaunch
The flagship startup competition connecting founders, investors, operators, and innovators.
Purdue’s student-led entrepreneurship platform
ForgeWhat’s next.
The Anvil connects ambitious students with the people, resources, and experiences needed to build something real — from first sketch to first customer, at Purdue and across Greater Lafayette.
Students → Founders → Companies
West Lafayette, IN
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02Choose your path
Three ways in.
One community.
The Anvil serves founders, the students who operate it, and the people who back them. Start where you are.
FoundersCommunity, mentorship, collaborators, funding opportunities, and honest feedback — whether you're pre-idea or post-launch.
- Find a cofounder
- Get matched with mentors
- Pressure-test your idea
- Pitch at BoilerLaunch
Just curious? Come to an event — no commitment required.
03Why we exist
Ideas are everywhere.
What matters is what happens next.
- The first conversation.
- The first collaborator.
- The first prototype.
- The first customer.
- The first rejection.
- The decision to keep building.
The Anvil exists for that process. Purdue produces some of the best engineers and problem-solvers in the world — we channel that talent toward building companies, not just taking jobs at them.
04Track record
Measured
in builders.
0+
Students reached
Across events, programs, and the founder community.
0
Startups supported
Founder teams that built with Anvil programs and community.
0
Teams reaching top accelerators
Including Y Combinator.
0+
Alumni & mentors
Operators, founders, and investors who give time back.
Figures compiled from Anvil program records across recent years.
05The founder journey
From curiosity
to company.
Five stages. You can enter at any of them — most founders loop back through several.
01
Discover
Attend an event, hear a founder speak, meet people who build. No idea required.
Community events · The Forge
02
Connect
Find collaborators, cofounders, mentors, and the operators who can help.
Community nights · Mentorship
03
Validate
Test the problem, talk to customers, and let the community challenge your assumptions.
Workshops · Pivot Challenge · Peer feedback
04
Build
Turn the idea into a product and a venture, with mentors who've done it before.
Mentorship · Founder community
05
Launch
Pitch, compete, recruit, and connect to accelerators and investors through the ecosystem.
BoilerLaunch · Partner referrals
06The program ecosystem
Every program
is a product.
Distinct formats for distinct moments — a competition, a speaker series, a sprint, and an open door.
P02
Founder Speaker Series
The Forge
An intimate founder speaker series focused on honest stories, difficult decisions, and practical lessons.
P03
Hands-On Startup Sprint
Next edition in planning
Pivot Challenge
A hands-on startup challenge where participants move quickly from problem to concept, validation, and pitch.
P04
Nights, Workshops & Meetups
Community Events
Workshops, socials, founder conversations, and networking — the open door into the community.
08Startups & stories
The companies
are the proof.
Eighty startups have built with this community. We're documenting them properly — real names, real founders, verified stories — instead of a wall of vague logos.
Founder profiles — in progress
Built something with The Anvil — found a cofounder here, competed at BoilerLaunch, got your first users through the community? We want your company on this site, told accurately.
09Events
The formats run all year.
Fall dates are announced at the start of each semester — on Instagram first, then here.
Regularly during the semester
Startup Community Nights
Low-key builder meetups: share what you're working on, find cofounders, get early feedback. No pitch decks required.
Throughout the academic year
The Forge
Founder speaker sessions with open Q&A. Candid stories, hard decisions, practical lessons.
Announced each semester
Founder Workshops
Hands-on sessions on fundraising mechanics, pitch design, product-market fit, and go-to-market.
Want the announcement the moment dates land? Subscribe to the dispatch.
07Contact sheet
What it
looks like.
No stock photos, no staged offices. This is the community at work.
10Operators
Build the institution
that builds founders.
Not everyone at The Anvil is starting a company. Operators run the programs — BoilerLaunch, The Forge, partnerships, marketing, finance — and graduate with real operating experience.
- Events & Programs
- BoilerLaunch
- Partnerships & Finance
- Marketing & Design
- Community & Founder Support
Explore the Team
Applications currently closed
The operating team
11The ecosystem
Backed by people who back builders.
Venture firms, counsel, and Purdue's innovation infrastructure — the network founders tap through The Anvil.
Don’t just have
an idea. Build it.
Find the people, experiences, and support that can help you take the next step — this semester, not someday.