The gift comes from the AGE Fisher Family Foundation and will establish the Hub for Innovation, Ventures and Entrepreneurship (HIVE) within the College of Engineering.
Purdue University has received a $10 million gift from the AGE Fisher Family Foundation in order to establish a new innovation and entrepreneurship center, called the Hub for Innovation, Ventures and Entrepreneurship (HIVE) within the College of Engineering. The gift comes from Jeff and Edie Fisher, both Purdue University alumni, and will support students as they seek resources for success.
According to an article on Purdue University's website, Jeff Fisher was quoted as saying of his and his wife’s journey with Purdue University and their decision to fund HIVE, “Edie and I grew up in Indiana and met at Purdue — it’s where we began our journey to build our family and our careers — so we are very excited to be able to give back to the university. Programs like the HIVE didn’t exist when we were at Purdue. I have spent most of my career working on the business side of technology, and I believe the HIVE will provide a needed resource for engineering students passionate about starting their own companies. We’re proud to establish just such a place at Purdue.”
The HIVE will be located within the Duncan Annex of the Max W & Maileen Brown Family Hall of Electrical Engineering. It will serve as the innovation center for the College of Engineering and will connect students within the engineering programs to various resources throughout the university, including the Purdue Research Foundation and the Purdue Innovates program.
The new facility will have 10 incubator spaces, staff offices, hot desking spaces, and spaces for pitch competitions and training. The space is expected to span 10,000 square feet and will open in the Fall 2026 semester.
Christopher Brinton, an Elmore Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, will be the inaugural faculty director of the HIVE, and Jessica Jud will be the managing director.
Arvind Raman, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering, said, “Our vision is for the Purdue College of Engineering to become the most consequential engineering college in the nation by 2030, and this extraordinary commitment from the Fisher family and their foundation will certainly help us in this mission. The HIVE will create a deeper culture of creativity and persistence, producing more startup companies that will shape our world. It will also help us continue to attract the finest and most forward-thinking students and faculty.”
University president Mung Chiang said, “We are deeply grateful to the Fisher family for this transformational gift, which will empower Purdue to continue leading the way in innovation, entrepreneurship and higher education. Purdue Innovates is an overall program that supports Boilermaker inventors and entrepreneurs across many colleges. This generous gift will accelerate and amplify the success of entrepreneurs in the College of Engineering, with transformational leadership as demonstrated by Jeff Fisher in his own career.”
Jeff and Edie Fisher graduated from Purdue University in 1980, with Jeff earning a bachelor degree in engineering and Edie earning one in retail management. Jeff joined NVIDIA in 1994 and is currently a senior level executive with the company.
For more information about Purdue University, visit the school’s website.