The Forge - Find Your Path | Panel
The Forge: Find Your Path is a panel event bringing together successful Purdue entrepreneurs who each built something completely different. From woodworking to pizza chains to B2B software to venture building, our panelists took unique roads to get where they are today, and none of them followed the same playbook.
This is your chance to hear their real stories, ask the questions you actually want answers to, and walk away with something that helps you figure out your own next step. Whether you have an idea already or are still trying to find your thing, this event is for you.
The format is simple. Each panelist shares a bit of their background, and then we open it up for a candid conversation between the audience and the panel. No scripts, no polished keynotes, just honest answers from people who have been where you are.
Come ready to listen, ask, and get inspired.
Meet the Panelists
Lucas "Coach Woody" Woody is a 3x founder, strategic advisor, and lecturer at Purdue University's Certificate of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. He is the founder of NextBetter Ventures, a platform focused on developing people and businesses that enhance human flourishing. Coach Woody spends his time advising early-stage startups, designing organizations, and building leaders who do meaningful work.
Tayfun Ozbaki is the founder of TOPICS Woodworks, a handcrafted woodworking business he built from passion into a real product business selling on Etsy and beyond. He also works as a Sales Engineer at BW Papersystems, balancing entrepreneurship with a full-time career.
Brad Niemeier is the founder of Azzip Pizza, a Midwest pizza chain he built from the ground up. What started as a single concept grew into a recognizable regional brand, making Brad one of the most tangible examples of student entrepreneurship turned real business.
Adam Weinstein is the founder of Writ and connected to Contentful, working at the intersection of content, writing, and technology. Adam brings a perspective on building in the digital and B2B software space, showing a completely different side of what entrepreneurship can look like.
This event is hosted by The Anvil, Purdue's entrepreneurship club. Free and open to all Purdue students.