Earlier this month, the Venture Club of Indiana held the 2024 Innovation Showcase pitch competition. In the end, it was a clean sweep for Purdue-connected companies across all categories.
“Purdue Strategic Ventures is a proud member of the Venture Club of Indiana and a longtime sponsor of the Showcase. This year, it was exciting to see the success of Purdue-connected companies, with nine out of 20 pitching having Purdue ties and three of those taking home wins,” said Madison Sowards, community manager of Purdue Strategic Ventures. “We’re thrilled to contribute to the continued growth of the innovation ecosystem in Indiana and beyond by helping Purdue-connected startups access the capital, community and resources they need to scale.”
Each first-place winner received $10,000 in funding and an opportunity to connect with Indiana’s thriving startup ecosystem. Learn more about their winning startups:
Ag Tech/Hard Tech: Insignum AgTech
Insignum AgTech is creating seed gene editing technology that allows crops to use their pigments to “talk”, communicating specific problems based on their color.
Insignum started as an idea while Founder and CEO Kyle Mohler was a Purdue postdoc.
Now it’s a Purdue Strategic Ventures’ investment portfolio company, enjoying access to a host of support resources, including a startup CEO peer group to share meaningful input from others at a similar company stage.
This showcase was a great way to meet investors, fellow startup founders, and support services. I hope to help connect others to advance their goals as well to advance the Indiana startup ecosystem.
Kyle Mohler
Founder and CEO (Photo credit: Josh Dage / StudioVZN)
Digital Tech: Covert Defenses
Covert Defenses is building a platform designed to ensure zero downtime operation of control systems for both commercial and military operations, even during cyberattacks, thanks to its self-healing capability.
Covert Defenses is made up of many Purdue alums, including founder Hany Abdel-Khalik and Innovation Showcase pitch presenter Arvind Sundaram, senior data scientist. They have also disclosed through the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization.
Interested in learning more? Covert Defenses is actively hiring engineers at all levels of study.
Our goal this year is to spread awareness about the technology and build a network of potential advisors and transition partners. Pitches are a great way to grab people’s attention. As technical folks, we tend to ramble, so pitches help cut down all of that to a concise message.
Arvind Sundaram
Senior Data Scientist
Life Sciences: Amplified Sciences
Amplified Sciences is a clinical-stage life sciences diagnostic company developing diagnostics tests aimed at accurately detecting and categorically assessing the risks of debilitating diseases.
The company licenses Purdue professor V. Jo Davisson’s intellectual property through the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization. (Davisson also serves as the company’s chief scientific officer. Additionally, over half of Amplified Science staff graduated from Purdue.) The company is a Purdue Strategic Ventures’ investment portfolio company.
Because of location and our strong ties to the Purdue community, we’re able to access scientific and financial resources that other startups might not have. Purdue, West Lafayette and the state of Indiana: it’s just a really powerful ecosystem for us.
Diana Caldwell
President, CEO and Co-founder (Photo credit: Josh Dage / StudioVZN)
Media Contact:
Polly Barks, phbarks@prf.org
