The John Martinson Entrepreneurial Center (JMEC) Palo Alto, California, office, an extension of the JMEC office in West Lafayette, seeks to help talented and innovative student, alumni and faculty startups get off the ground. Alumni host the JMEC awards each semester and serve as volunteer judges and support for Silicon Valley, California, events.  

The JMEC Silicon Valley office also collaborates closely with Purdue University’s Office of Professional Practice (OPP) and the College of Engineeringto place students in internships, co-ops and full-time jobs within high tech and startups in the Silicon Valley region. 

JMEC also co-hosts students annually for ENGR 10300: “Intro to Silicon Valley and Tech.” The course is taught by Steve Sposato, director of the Silicon Valley initiative; Jenny Strickland, assistant director for Co-op programs and student development in OPP;and Patrick Francis, OPP’s assistant director of employer engagement.According to self-reported student data, over 50 Purdue studentsare participatingin internshipsin the Bay Area thanks to the ENGR 10300 experience.They are using their curiosity and innovation at companies that include Ample Inc., Apple, ATA Engineering, Cuberg, Electric Hydrogen, Honda Research Institute, NASA, Rivian, Rocket Lab, United Airlines, Zipline International and more. 

“Working directly with distinguished Purdue alumni in Palo Alto, the heart of Silicon Valley, is absolutely fantastic,” Sposato said. “The Purdue network is thriving here in the Valley.” 

Highlights of the past spring and summer include: 

• Engineering students Ángel Enríquez and Sergio Ruiz designed and pitched Emboa Medical catheter, which took first place in the New Venture Challenge. 
• JMEC hosted the JMEC Awards Spring 2024. A record-breaking 20 startups applied to the awards, seven more than the fall semester’s awards.  
• Five Purdue student-led companies earned free mentoring through the Silicon Valley Boiler Innovation Group (SVBIG), co-chaired with JMEC for a Pitch for Mentoring session. Some teams went on to compete in the New Venture competition and other expositions.  
• Thirty studentsparticipated in an immersive classroom experience during spring break that took them to Silicon Valley. Theyvisited Alphabet/Google, ApplePark, ASML, GatikAI, Kokomo Wines, Microchip, Plug and Play in the Bay Area and the Tesla factory in Fremont, California. Students attended a lecture on venture capital by Purdue electrical and computer engineering alumnus Bill Elmore, a general partner in Handshake Ventures, a venture capital firm in Palo Alto that seeks to make early-stage investments. 
• SVBIG hosted a networking event in which invitees and guest speakers included distinguished PurdueEngineeringalumni in the Silicon Valley. 
• All four winners of the Purdue Innovates 2024 Moonshot Pitch Challenge, which includes inventive ideas to influence social, business and universal concepts, were previous JMEC winners. 

Think your startup could be the next Emboa Medical? Inspired by the events in Silicon Valley? Find everything you need to know about the JMEC, its opportunities and how to take your pitch to the next level at the new comprehensive JMEC website.