The 38th Burton D. Morgan Competition is about building up new venture concepts and focused on business design, rapid prototyping and market validation. We will rely on a proven playbook practiced by premier venture studios across the nation to get there.
If any of these resonate, this competition is your chance to turn that inspiration into action!
Submit your preliminary draft venture concept by Sunday, September 27, 2026 to enter the competition and embark on this exciting journey of business creation. Remember, your initial submission is simply an expression of commitment to go through the journey. You should not worry too much about the initial submission — you will not be assessed on it; it is your starting point to build on. Also, we will have two tracks but those will be determined after all submissions are in; that is, you don’t have to declare a particular track upon submission — just submit your preliminary concept!
The Burton D. Morgan Venture Concept Competition is an active learning journey designed to help you take the first step toward developing a business concept. It will guide you through answering the critical question, "Is there something here?" You'll gain the confidence to decide whether to move forward. You'll validate a business model and/or a prototype and test for traction.
Participants will start by submitting basic information about the problem or opportunity they've identified.
Over the course of a couple of months, you will:
The ultimate goal? To confidently answer the question, "Do people want this?"
Success in this competition depends on your proactive engagement with the market for external validation. You'll conduct customer and stakeholder discovery interviews and seek insights from experts. To support your journey, we'll provide workshops, tools and feedback to help you refine and develop your business concept.
Workshops will be held in person at the HIVE (preferred), with a virtual option, on Thursdays at 7 p.m. on the following dates: Sept. 24, Oct. 8, Oct. 22, Nov. 5, Nov. 19 and Dec. 3. All entered participants will have access to a Brightspace competition page to submit assignments, access workshops/materials, schedule office hours and receive feedback.
Attending workshops in person, engaging with office hours and exercises, and connecting with your fellow aspiring founders will go a long way toward your success in this competition.
The competition culminates in a final event on Dec. 11, 2026, where approximately 10 teams with the most promising concepts across two separate tracks will compete for (per track):
The top three winners will be chosen by a panel of judges experienced in early-stage venture building.
Additionally, seven other teams with standout concepts (per track) will each receive a $3,000 "You need to build this!" prize meant to encourage (but not require) you to develop a prototype for your business concept.
Overall, including special prizes live at the Final Event, we expect about 25 teams total receiving a significant award meant to encourage you to continue building!
For the Final Event, concepts will be assessed according to the following criteria:
This competition is designed for new, early-stage concepts, ideal for those ready to explore customer needs and market opportunities.
To qualify for the Final Event, you'll need to:
It goes without saying, to increase your chances of success, you will want to attend all of the workshops, ideally in person. However, the above are the minimum requirements to be eligible for the Final Event.
The competition is open to all Purdue students. However, your concept must meet these criteria:
Submit your preliminary draft venture concept by Sunday, Sept. 27 at 11:59 p.m.
Join one of our upcoming information sessions to meet your fellow aspiring founders, get your questions answered and learn more about the competition process.
Register here for the above info session(s) to secure an in-person spot at the HIVE (preferred) or receive a Zoom invitation.
The following teams walked away with expert feedback and a $3,000 “Standout Concept” prize each. In no particular order:
Three more teams walked away with one of the Competition’s Special Prizes ($1K) for:
Our sincere gratitude to the following group of experts in early stage venture building who judged the 37th Competition’s Final Event:
Congratulations to all finalists for their amazing work. They walked away with a $3K "Standout Concept" prize. In no particular order:
Our sincere gratitude to the following group of experts in early stage venture building who judged the 36th Competition’s Final Event:
