*Open only to First-Year Engineering and Science students*
Take your first Giant Leap! Anchor & Accelerate is a one-day venture pitch competition where first-year Engineering and Science students step into the role of a startup's founding team and pitch to a panel — no business experience required. It's a low-stakes, high-energy way to build confidence, sharpen how you communicate a big idea, and connect with founders and investors early in your Purdue journey.
Capped at 100 participants. Register now on Pitch to secure your spot.
Bonus: participation in this Competition satisfies one of the requirements (#5) for the Springer Engineering Business Experience Certificate
Your Role
You and a teammate take the helm of an early-stage company. Choose one of four real-world startup cases, then prepare and deliver a three-minute investment pitch — as if you're raising your company's first round of outside funding — followed by three minutes of Q&A from investor judges and a couple of minutes of feedback. Each case gives you the foundation of a company, but not every answer: the strongest teams do additional research, make reasonable assumptions, and build a compelling investment story.
Choose Your Company
- AttackLens — cybersecurity software that helps organizations identify and prioritize security risks before cyberattacks occur.
- HeatHalo — consumer wearable technology that helps people understand heat exposure and make safer decisions outdoors.
- ReturnRaccoon — a software platform that helps retailers simplify and manage product returns.
- TrueVibe — an HR technology platform that helps organizations understand employee experience and engagement.
What You'll Gain
- Learn to craft and deliver a compelling three-minute elevator pitch.
- Understand how founders communicate vision, business model, and growth — and what makes a business an attractive venture investment.
- Get familiar with startup funding stages, milestones, and the metrics investors care about.
- Practice making strategic decisions with limited information, just like real founders.
- Strengthen your communication, critical thinking, and teamwork with feedback from experienced entrepreneurs and investors.
- Build relationships with classmates, founders, and Purdue's entrepreneurial community.
Format & Rules
- Teams of 2 first-year Engineering or College of Science students.
- 3-minute pitch + 3 minutes of investor Q&A + 3 minutes of of feedback.
- Up to 4 content slides (not including a title slide or an optional thank-you slide).
- You are the founders — pitch as if raising your first outside investment.
- Judged on a shared rubric: Why This (the opportunity), Why Now (timing), Why You (the team), your Call to Action (the ask), and overall pitch delivery. There's no single "correct" pitch.
Key Dates & Logistics
- Registration closes: Monday, October 5 (capped at 100 participants, first come first served)
- Mandatory workshop: Tuesday, October 6, 6:00–7:00 PM — at the HIVE (4 cases released then!)
- Slides due: Wednesday, October 14, 11:59 PM
- Competition Day: Thursday, October 15 — at the HIVE (BHEE 270/280)
- Preliminary round: 10:00 AM–12:00 PM
- Finalists notified by 12:30 PM
- Final round: 1:30–3:00 PM
- Winners announced shortly thereafter
Prizes
1st place: $2,000 · 2nd place: $1,000 · 3rd place: $500 [all are per team]
How to Prepare
Everything you need is provided at the mandatory workshop, where you'll receive the four cases and the judging rubric. Before the competition:
- Watch the required "What is Venture Capital?" video series (~9 minutes).
- Explore optional resources on revenue models, product-market fit, and the metrics VC firms use.
- Use the Purdue Libraries research guide to back your pitch with real market and industry data.
To Enter:
- Register on Pitch
- Fill out this survey to select your preferred presentation time, submit any teammate info, and your team's name
- If you are joining as a team of two, both participants should register on Pitch and both participants should submit the survey.
- If you are joining solo, submit the survey and we will match you with a teammate who also selected the same preferred presentation time.
Presented and Sponsored By
Purdue College of Engineering — Springer Business Initiative, in partnership with Roll Tack Ventures and the Springer Engineering Business Certificate.
Questions? Kostas Grigoriou, Director, Springer Business Initiative, College of Engineering & Clinical Professor at Daniels School of Business — kostasg@purdue.edu
Register on Pitch by October 5 — come solo or grab a partner and pitch your way in.
*Open only to First-Year Engineering and Science students*
Take your first Giant Leap! Anchor & Accelerate is a one-day venture pitch competition where first-year Engineering and Science students step into the role of a startup's founding team and pitch to a panel — no business experience required. It's a low-stakes, high-energy way to build confidence, sharpen how you communicate a big idea, and connect with founders and investors early in your Purdue journey.
Capped at 100 participants. Register now on Pitch to secure your spot.
Bonus: participation in this Competition satisfies one of the requirements (#5) for the Springer Engineering Business Experience Certificate
Your Role
You and a teammate take the helm of an early-stage company. Choose one of four real-world startup cases, then prepare and deliver a three-minute investment pitch — as if you're raising your company's first round of outside funding — followed by three minutes of Q&A from investor judges and a couple of minutes of feedback. Each case gives you the foundation of a company, but not every answer: the strongest teams do additional research, make reasonable assumptions, and build a compelling investment story.
Choose Your Company
- AttackLens — cybersecurity software that helps organizations identify and prioritize security risks before cyberattacks occur.
- HeatHalo — consumer wearable technology that helps people understand heat exposure and make safer decisions outdoors.
- ReturnRaccoon — a software platform that helps retailers simplify and manage product returns.
- TrueVibe — an HR technology platform that helps organizations understand employee experience and engagement.
What You'll Gain
- Learn to craft and deliver a compelling three-minute elevator pitch.
- Understand how founders communicate vision, business model, and growth — and what makes a business an attractive venture investment.
- Get familiar with startup funding stages, milestones, and the metrics investors care about.
- Practice making strategic decisions with limited information, just like real founders.
- Strengthen your communication, critical thinking, and teamwork with feedback from experienced entrepreneurs and investors.
- Build relationships with classmates, founders, and Purdue's entrepreneurial community.
Format & Rules
- Teams of 2 first-year Engineering or College of Science students.
- 3-minute pitch + 3 minutes of investor Q&A + 3 minutes of of feedback.
- Up to 4 content slides (not including a title slide or an optional thank-you slide).
- You are the founders — pitch as if raising your first outside investment.
- Judged on a shared rubric: Why This (the opportunity), Why Now (timing), Why You (the team), your Call to Action (the ask), and overall pitch delivery. There's no single "correct" pitch.
Key Dates & Logistics
- Registration closes: Monday, October 5 (capped at 100 participants, first come first served)
- Mandatory workshop: Tuesday, October 6, 6:00–7:00 PM — at the HIVE (4 cases released then!)
- Slides due: Wednesday, October 14, 11:59 PM
- Competition Day: Thursday, October 15 — at the HIVE (BHEE 270/280)
- Preliminary round: 10:00 AM–12:00 PM
- Finalists notified by 12:30 PM
- Final round: 1:30–3:00 PM
- Winners announced shortly thereafter
Prizes
1st place: $2,000 · 2nd place: $1,000 · 3rd place: $500 [all are per team]
How to Prepare
Everything you need is provided at the mandatory workshop, where you'll receive the four cases and the judging rubric. Before the competition:
- Watch the required "What is Venture Capital?" video series (~9 minutes).
- Explore optional resources on revenue models, product-market fit, and the metrics VC firms use.
- Use the Purdue Libraries research guide to back your pitch with real market and industry data.
To Enter:
- Register on Pitch
- Fill out this survey to select your preferred presentation time, submit any teammate info, and your team's name
- If you are joining as a team of two, both participants should register on Pitch and both participants should submit the survey.
- If you are joining solo, submit the survey and we will match you with a teammate who also selected the same preferred presentation time.
Presented and Sponsored By
Purdue College of Engineering — Springer Business Initiative, in partnership with Roll Tack Ventures and the Springer Engineering Business Certificate.
Questions? Kostas Grigoriou, Director, Springer Business Initiative, College of Engineering & Clinical Professor at Daniels School of Business — kostasg@purdue.edu
Register on Pitch by October 5 — come solo or grab a partner and pitch your way in.
Learn how to complete your registration, upload submissions, and interact with your competition's staff!
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