The Anvil presentsSHT 18 · STARTUP CAREER FAIR
StartupCareerFair. Jan 2027
One room of startups hiring Purdue students. No towers of branded tote bags, no line wrapped around a booth for a recruiter who hands you a QR code. Founders at the table, real roles on the sheet, and conversations that end with a next step.
- When
- Friday, January 22, 2027 · 9AM - 4PM
- Where
- West Lafayette, IN
- Startups
- $200 · Paid once you’re confirmed
- Students
- Free
Startups hiring → Purdue builders → One room
Edition 2027-01
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What startups can recruit for
- Software
- Hardware / EE
- Mechanical
- Data / ML
- Design
- Product
- Business / Ops
- Sales / Growth
- Marketing
- Finance
- Life sciences
- Full-time
- Internship
- Co-op
- Part-time
- Founding team
01For startupsPart A
Stop getting drowned out.
At the general career fair you are a folding table between two companies with whole teams of recruiters. Here, every table is a startup, and every student walked in on purpose.
- A.1
Students who chose startups
Nobody wanders in on their way to a Fortune 500 booth. The people at your table came to meet companies your size, and they know what that means.
- A.2
Purdue engineers, and then some
Software, hardware, mechanical, data, design, product, business. Tell us who you need and we point the right students at your table.
- A.3
Your whole pitch, not a logo
Confirmed startups get a public listing with their roles before the day, so students show up having already read what you do.
- A.4
Built by people who get it
The Anvil is Purdue students who build startups. We run this for companies like the ones we want to work at, and we keep it to one flat fee, paid only once your spot is confirmed.
02For studentsPart B
Meet the people who decide.
At a startup, the person at the table is often the person who writes the offer. Bring your résumé, and bring the thing you built.
- B.1
Founders, face to face
Talk to the people who started the company, not a campus rep reading from a card. Ask them anything. They will answer.
- B.2
Internships that ship
Summer, co-op, part-time during the semester. Work that goes to production, with your name on it, not a sandbox project.
- B.3
Founding-team roles
Some of these companies are small enough that you would be employee number four. That is a different job, and for the right person, a better one.
- B.4
Equity and ownership
Early roles can come with a stake in what you build. Ask about it. Knowing what to ask is half of evaluating an offer.
03Why a separate fair
Same students. Different room.
| Spec | The big career fair | The Startup Career Fair |
|---|---|---|
| 01Your neighbors | Big fair ·Household names with double-wide booths and a line out the door | This one ·Other startups, all hiring, all small enough to move fast |
| 02Who stops by | Big fair ·Whoever is walking past on the way to someone else | This one ·Students who came specifically to meet startups |
| 03Who is at the table | Big fair ·Campus recruiters and a résumé scanner | This one ·Founders, early engineers, the people who do the hiring |
| 04What is on offer | Big fair ·Rotational programs and a generic application link | This one ·Named roles, internships, founding-team seats, equity |
| 05What happens next | Big fair ·An automated email, weeks later, if one comes at all | This one ·A conversation, and a reason to have a second one |
04How it worksRouting sheet · 4 operations
Form to floor in four steps.
OP 10 · Register
Tell us who you are hiring
One form, about ten minutes: the company, the roles, and who you want to meet. Nothing to pay at this stage, and no sales call.
OP 20 · Review
The Anvil reviews it
The Anvil reviews every registration. We are checking that you are a startup and that you are hiring. That is the bar.
OP 30 · Confirm
Your spot, and your listing
Once confirmed you get your booth, logistics and payment details by email, and your roles go up on this page so students can plan their day around you.
OP 40 · Fair day
Doors open. Students arrive.
Check in, set up, and talk to Purdue students who came to meet startups. Leave with names, not a stack of paper.
05Who’s coming
The list goes live soon.
We publish confirmed startups here once the first group is set, so you can plan your day before you walk in.
Registration is the first step
Names appear here once the team confirms them.
06Questions
Asked, answered.
Q01What does it cost?
$200 per startup, and you pay only once we confirm your spot: payment details come with the confirmation email, never at registration. For that you get a table in a room of Purdue students who came specifically to meet startups, a public listing with your roles before the day, and a team pointing the right students your way instead of leaving you between two household names at the big fair.
Q02Who counts as a startup?
Young companies still building: pre-seed through Series B and beyond, bootstrapped included. If you are not sure you fit, register and tell us about yourself. We would rather read it than have you guess.
Q03Do we need a Purdue connection?
No. If your team includes Purdue founders or alumni, or you came through a Purdue program, tell us: students like knowing. It is not a requirement.
Q04Do we need open roles?
Yes, at least one you would hire a Purdue student for: an internship, a co-op, part-time, full-time, or a founding-team seat. This is a recruiting fair, not an expo.
Q05When will we hear back?
The Anvil reviews every registration and emails the contact you give us once your spot is confirmed, waitlisted, or if it is not a fit. If it has been a while, email TheAnvil@purdue.edu and The Anvil will answer.
Q06What will be public?
Once you are confirmed, and only if you leave the listing box ticked: your company name, logo, one-liner, industry, stage, location and roles. Contact details are never shown to anyone outside the Anvil team.
Q07Can we sponsor?
Yes. Tick the sponsorship box on the form and we will send you the options. Sponsoring is never required to recruit.
Q01Who can come?
Purdue students, every major and every year. Startups hire for far more than code: design, product, operations, sales, finance, and life sciences all show up on the role lists.
Q02Do I need to register?
Yes, please RSVP. It is free, it takes thirty seconds, and it helps us tell startups how many students to expect.
Q03What should I bring?
A résumé, a way to show what you have built (a repo, a portfolio, a prototype on your phone), and a couple of questions for each company you care about. Founders remember the student who asked something real.
Q04What is a founding-team role?
An early hire at a very small company, often within the first ten people. You will own more, ship faster and wear more hats than at a large company, usually with equity as part of the offer.
Q05How does startup equity work?
Usually as stock options that vest over a few years. The questions worth asking: what percentage of the company, over what vesting schedule, at what strike price, and how much runway the company has. Any founder worth working for will be glad you asked.
Q06What does it cost?
Nothing. It is free for students.
07Register to recruit
Claim a table.
About ten minutes. The Anvil reviews every registration, and nothing goes public until you are confirmed.
- Takes
- About ten minutes
- Costs
- $200 per startup · paid once you’re confirmed
- You need
- At least one open role
- Reviewed
- By The Anvil, every one
- Public
- Only after you are confirmed
Questions first? Email TheAnvil@purdue.edu.
Startup Career Fair · Friday, January 22, 2027 · West Lafayette, IN
Hire the ones
who’d rather build.
Purdue graduates some of the best engineers and builders in the country. This is the room where startups get to meet them first.