SVBig

SVBig | Silicon Valley Boilermaker Innovation Group

ABOUT

SVBIG is an organization focused on mentoring student, faculty & recent grad entrepreneurs at Purdue University to advance their start-up idea/company. Engagement includes early ideas in the classroom through company formation and start-up to company liquidity event.

SVBIG comprises professionals with proven experience in entrepreneurship, and with diverse expertise in areas such as venture capital, angel investing, startup leadership, venture finance, and early go-to-market experience in product and channels.

SVBIG = 'SV' for the Silicon Valley entrepreneurial thinking origin and 'BIG' for alignment with Purdue, the 'Boilermaker Innovation Group'. 'BIG' is the way we think.

To apply for SVBIG mentoring

Provide us an executive summary of your business, using this form: Apply Now

The SVBIG team will consider all submissions and eventually invite several selected companies to a "Pitch-for-Mentors" video conference in which the SVBIG team will select companies to be mentored in our next mentoring round, spanning 6-12 months.

What kind of startups does SVBIG seek for mentoring?

SVBIG primarily focuses on companies that are technology-based and which aspire to achieve "Venture scale," meaning they have potential for rapid, leveraged growth once product market fit is established, followed eventually by substantial market penetration and revenue.

As for the team, we seek founders with the ability to describe their business mission with clarity, along with dedication, conviction, and ideally a diversity of skills. There should be substantial, sustainable differentiation from existing and emerging competitors, either through technology, founders’ skill sets, first-mover advantage, or through other advantages.

Note that our "Pitch-for-Mentors" sessions are not a competition, and we don't claim to pick the "best" startup teams. Rather, we strive engage start up teams who can best tap our skills and our network, and in which several of our members express an interest in helping.

You can see our list of potential mentors, here. We consider any technology startup founded by Purdue undergraduates, grad students, faculty, alumni, or any combination of these.