Drone Tech Wins Boiler Competition

Aerial Agriculture was maid up of (from left) Austin Deardorff

A Purdue student-founded startup focusing on drone technology has taken the top prize at the third annual Boiler Mini-Accelerator Competition. Aerial Agriculture is developing technology to build and pilot unmanned aerial vehicles designed to monitor crop health.

In addition to the $5,000 prize, Aerial Agriculture will receive free and discounted professional services through Purdue’s entrepreneurial programs and resources. The team is made up of Purdue College of Engineering students Taylor Wetli, Justin Kinney, Austin Deardorff and Angelo DeFlora.

Second place went to Socio, which has developed a social media application allowing people to connect through "digital handshakes." OWL, a startup commercializing wearable fitness technology for children, earned third place.

The Boiler, which takes place over eight weeks, provides participants with professional advice and business development resources from Purdue Foundry experts. Teams also receive office space, workshops and funding to support their startups.

The all-investor panel of judges included executives from Elevate Ventures, High Alpha, M25 Group, VisionTech, Foundation Capital and Chicago Ventures.