The 37th Burton D. Morgan Competition will again be about creating new venture concepts and focused on business design. We will be applying a proven playbook practiced by premier venture studios in the nation to get there.
Someone should solve this!
we can do better than thatsolution?
If any of these resonate, this competition is your chance to turn that inspiration into action!
Submit your preliminary draft venture concept by Sunday, October 5, 2025 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 will be your starting point to build on.
Virtual workshops will be held on 10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 11/7, and 11/21.
$50K in Prizes will be distributed to several top concepts at the Competition’s Final Event on . Submit your concept
The Burton D. Morgan Business 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 consider designing a prototype and testing 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. 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 virtually on Fridays at 6 p.m. on the following dates: October 3, October 10, October 17, October 24, November 7, and November 21. All entered participants will have access to a Brightspace competition page to submit assignments, access workshops/materials, schedule office hours, and receive feedback.
The competition culminates in a final event on , where approximately 10 teams with the most promising concepts will compete for:
The top three winners will be chosen by a panel of judges experienced in early-stage venture building.
Additionally, 7-8 other teams with standout concepts 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.
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:
The competition is open to all Purdue students. However, your concept must meet these criteria:
Submit your preliminary draft venture concept by Sunday, October 5 to embark on this exciting journey of business creation!
Join one of our upcoming virtual information sessions to get all your questions answered and learn more about the competition process.
Register for the above info session(s) to receive a Zoom invitation.
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:
