Reflecting on Our Journey with Purdue’s Innovation Ecosystem
May 16, 2025
This blog post from ClearBlade Founder & CEO Eric Simone explores how ClearBlade partnered with the Purdue innovation ecosystem to turn cutting-edge research into real-world edge AI solutions.
Last Friday, I had the privilege of joining Coffee at Convergence alongside Danielle Salters, Jay Shah, and Aaron Gilbertie for a dynamic morning of conversation around innovation, entrepreneurship, and real collaboration with Purdue University.
At ClearBlade, we’ve always focused on solving real-world problems with real-time technology. From deploying edge AI to improve public safety to powering intelligent infrastructure in industrial settings, our mission is simple: turn machine data into action—instantly, securely, and at scale.
Much of our success has been rooted in a strong foundation, and Purdue has played a key role in that. ClearBlade is proud to be part of the Purdue Strategic Ventures portfolio—a relationship that goes beyond funding. It’s about access to top-tier talent, shared ambition, and true alignment around building smarter infrastructure and safer cities.
Our collaboration with Purdue began with a vision that edge computing and IoT could fundamentally change how infrastructure operates. From early research and development to field-deployed systems optimizing energy, traffic, and water management, this partnership has always been grounded in outcomes.
The Purdue Research Foundation captured it well in their piece last fall—ClearBlade and Purdue are focused on delivering “intelligent infrastructure, not theoretical experiments.” That mindset is what makes Purdue’s innovation ecosystem so powerful. The support is strategic, technical, and mission-aligned.
During the event, we shared key lessons from our journey: how startups can collaborate with universities, how to scale beyond the pilot stage, and why edge AI is one of the most compelling frontiers in tech today.
Grateful for the opportunity to connect and share the story of ClearBlade’s collaboration with Purdue’s Innovation Ecosystem. Here’s to continuing to build what’s next—together.