Purdue’s Double Down Experiment accelerator will assist nine growth-stage businesses linked to the university with resources as they look to realise their expansion ambitions.

Nine US-based businesses have been selected for the inaugural batch of a new sector-agnostic accelerator launched by Purdue Foundry, the startup acceleration division of Purdue University.
The accelerator, Double Down Experiment, aims to nurture growth-stage companies linked to the university, providing resources such as mentoring to pave the way for further business expansion.
Double Down Experiment will complement existing Purdue Foundry supports geared towards more embryonic companies, including its Firestarter accelerator and business planning resources.
Angela Goldenstein, director of growth at Purdue Foundry, said: “We have carefully selected a handful of companies that have proven their technologies and innovations are ready to change the world. Now, we are ready to help them move to the next level.”
The inaugural cohort, selected from a pool of 253 applications, will consist of:

  • Explore Interactive, a developer of educational augmented reality software for teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The company previously raised a $20,000 convertible note from Purdue Foundry-aligned VC vehicle Elevate Purdue Foundry Fund.
  • Gryfn, an agriculture-focused drone sensor and analytics provider that previously featured in Purdue Foundry’s Agriculture Avenue program.
  • NutraMaize, a Purdue-linked startup commercialising corn plants genetically modified to contain high levels of carotenoid pigments – deficiencies in which have been linked to age-related vision loss.
  • Phytoption, a Purdue spinout looking to deliver natural crop extracts and derivatives for drug, food and personal care applications.
  • Predictive Wear, which produces wearable garments combining biomedical engineering, smart textiles and predictive analytics to help people monitor their health. The company has already secured up to $250,000 from Foundry Investment Fund, a partnership between the university’s Research Foundation and medical device supplier Cook Medical.
  • Rogo Ag, a company previously equipped with $100,000 from Purdue’s Ag-celerator Fund to commercialise autonomous soil sampling robots.
  • SpeechVive, a Purdue University-founded developer of speech aids for patients living with Parkinson’s disease that has reportedly raised about $1.7m from backers including Purdue Foundry.
  • Tudr, an app-based marketplace enabling college students to exchange peer-to-peer assistance with coursework.
  • VinSense, a Purdue-licensed developer of decision support software for crop farmers previously equipped by Elevate Purdue Foundry Fund with $20,000 in convertible financing as well as $80,000, though it is not clear whether the latter was equity or debt.