Catapult started as an experiment. Purdue had students with ideas, talent, and ambition — but no clear on-ramp to turn those sparks into something real. So I created Catapult, a 24-hour startup incubator built to lower the barrier to building. No code required. No prior experience necessary. Just a space to try, fail, learn, and launch.

For the first edition, I built everything from scratch. I developed a detailed event design system, secured campus infrastructure, handled logistics, and rallied a team to help pull it off. We packed the day with workshops, speakers, and hands-on building sessions. The goal was to create an immersive environment where students could work in teams, receive mentorship, and pitch to a panel of judges — all within 24 hours.

We saw students from across disciplines come together to build their first products, some even shipping MVPs by the end of the event. It was messy, chaotic, and energizing in all the right ways. What mattered most wasn’t how polished the outcomes were — it was that people walked away with real startup muscles: problem scoping, team dynamics, building under pressure, and pitching to an audience.

Catapult v1 showed us what was possible. It proved that with the right container — focused, fast-paced, and welcoming — Purdue students wanted to build. They just needed permission and a little push.