What The Data Mine - Purdue University does

The Data Mine is an interdisciplinary living-learning community at Purdue University, founded in 2019 and headquartered at 610 Purdue Mall in West Lafayette, Indiana, with a second location in Indianapolis. The program is open to students from every college, program, and major across Purdue's campus and serves two primary constituencies: (1) Purdue students who gain experiential data-science training through project-based work and corporate mentoring, and (2) corporate partners who receive data-intensive project output, early access to talent, and a recruiting pipeline.

Its core product is the living-learning community housed in Hillenbrand Hall, supported by the Corporate Partners Program, a Teaching Assistant Program (Seminar TAs, Corporate Partners TAs acting as Project Leads, and Portfolio TAs for TDM Labs), a Data Science Certificate credential, and the Examples Book curriculum resource. Students work on real-world datasets supplied by 60+ corporate partners, with technical resources including Purdue's Anvil secure high-computing cluster. Project work spans AI/ML, NLP, LLMs, computer vision, bioinformatics, forecasting, supply-chain analytics, and other data-intensive domains.

The program operates as a Purdue University academic unit rather than a freestanding commercial entity. Direct commercial revenue derives from corporate partnership fees of $20,000 per academic year per project, each project engaging 5–10 students from diverse academic backgrounds under committed corporate mentoring, billed on a multi-year subscription basis. Go-to-market relies on direct outreach, Purdue's institutional brand, the annual Corporate Partners Symposium, and Purdue's career-services infrastructure. Leadership, staffing, and infrastructure are provided by the parent university; the program itself has no separate venture or private-equity backing.

Name

The Data Mine - Purdue University

Legal name

The Data Mine

Website

https://datamine.purdue.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Data Mine is a Purdue University interdisciplinary living-learning community that pairs 1,700+ students from every major with 60+ corporate partners for project-based data-science work, charging $20,000 per project per academic year.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University-Industry Experiential Learning Services

NAICS

Computer Training (611420)

akta.pro primary industry

Cooperative Education (Co-op) Technical Universities (EDAHAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Portfolio, Capstone & Project-Based Program Support (EDAMAKAD)

Keywords

• Experiential data science education
• Corporate-sponsored research
• Living-learning community
• University-industry partnerships
• Student data science projects

Headquarters

HQ city

West Lafayette

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Corporate Partnership Fees: Corporate partners pay $20,000 per academic year per project, which includes access to 5-10 students from diverse academic backgrounds who work on data-intensive projects with committed corporate mentoring. This is the primary revenue stream supporting program operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Data Mine is an interdisciplinary living-learning community at Purdue University that pairs 1,700+ students from every college and major with 60+ corporate partners on data-intensive, real-world projects. Corporate partners pay $20,000 per academic year per project to receive a team of 5-10 students with committed corporate mentoring, gaining proof-of-concept work, backlog project completion, and a recruiting pipeline while students earn experiential learning credit.

Product overview

The Data Mine is an interdisciplinary living-learning community at Purdue University that serves as a unified educational platform for data science. The core offering is the Living-Learning Community, which integrates the Corporate Partners Program (facilitating industry collaborations with 60+ companies), the Teaching Assistant Program, and the Indianapolis expansion location. Students can earn a Data Science Certificate while participating in experiential learning projects. The Examples Book resource and Student Ambassadors Program provide additional support structures. The organization connects 1700+ students with corporate mentors for real-world data science challenges, positioning itself as a bridge between academia and industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Corporate Partners Program: Corporate partnership initiative where companies collaborate with students on data science projects

Products and services

• The Data Mine Living-Learning Community An interdisciplinary living-learning community at Purdue University open to students from every college, program and major, providing experiential learning through corporate partnerships and mentorship for data science career preparation.
• Corporate Partners Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 38,300+ hours of accumulated industry experience since Fall 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers63 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

65 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BASFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChemistry company working with The Data Mine on data-intensive projects. Students work on real-world chemistry and climate change related data science challenges with committed corporate mentoring. BASF has participated in multiple academic years.
• Bayer Crop SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural science company engaged in long-term partnership with The Data Mine. Projects include trait prediction, climate change analysis, yield prediction, and genetics by environment studies. Active since 2019-2020 academic year.
• Beck's HybridscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeed company partnering with The Data Mine for agricultural data science projects including kernel depth analysis, seed quality assessment, stand count, and supply chain optimization. Active since 2019-2020.
• AbbViecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiopharmaceutical company collaborating with The Data Mine on data science projects.
• AstraZenecacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal biopharmaceutical company partnered with The Data Mine for student-led data science projects.
• RochecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare company with active partnership in Indianapolis location, working with students on healthcare data projects.
• Cook MedicalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedical device company collaborating on clinical metadata monitoring, clinical monitoring, product quality, and nonconformance data projects since 2022-23.
• ElancocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnimal health company engaged with students on bioinformatics genes and other data science projects. Active since 2019-2020.
• Elevance HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare company partnered with The Data Mine at the Indianapolis location.
• CaterpillarcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeavy equipment manufacturer with extensive partnership including supplier quality inspection, ML paint analytics, LLM product data analyzer, risk management, supply chain, EV charging, and time series projects. Active since 2020-2021.
• Allison TransmissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVehicle transmission manufacturer partnered with The Data Mine for student data science projects at both West Lafayette and Indianapolis locations.
• Rolls-RoycecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAerospace and power systems company engaged with The Data Mine at Indianapolis location.
• BoeingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAerospace company working on digital twins and cybersecurity intersection projects with students.
• FordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAutomotive manufacturer collaborating on NLP, speech transcription, and natural language processing projects since 2019-2020.
• CumminscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngine and power systems company partnered with The Data Mine at Indianapolis. Students have reported that Data Mine connections helped land internships with Cummins.
• CiscocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology company working with students on demand forecasting and mix forecasting calibration projects since 2023-24.
• Delta FaucetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManufacturing company partnered at Indianapolis location, providing students with exposure to real-world product development challenges.
• MISOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent system operator engaged with students at Indianapolis location on energy sector data projects.
• DowcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaterials science company working on agentic workflow and time-sensitive chemical identification tool projects with students since 2024-25.
• V2XcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment solutions company engaged on license plate recognition, maintenance chatbot, and NLP projects since 2023-24.
• BAE SystemscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDefense and aerospace company partnered with The Data Mine for student data science projects.
• USAAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial services company working with students on data science projects since 2021-22.
• UPScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLogistics company engaged in data science projects with students since 2020-21.
• BattellecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent research organization partnered with The Data Mine.
• CDC PROTECTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCenters for Disease Control initiative working on web scraping, error prediction, poison control, and OTC data projects since 2021-22.
• Frederick National LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Cancer Institute-designated research institution working on LLM UI, spatial single-cell analysis, and Python data collection tools since 2024-25.
• Indiana Supreme CourtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner at Indianapolis location, providing students exposure to legal/judicial data challenges.
• Indiana Soybean AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural advocacy organization working on grant website, water quality, and website program projects since 2023-24.
• USDA Forest ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency collaborating on forest management data science projects since 2021-22.
• FSSA (Indiana Family and Social Services Administration)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency working on IN211, Medicaid, and Pregnancy Promise Program projects since 2021-22.
• WabashcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrailer and truck body manufacturer engaged in website analytics and cost prediction projects since 2021-22.
• Central InsurancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInsurance company working on customer retention and social media marketing analytics projects since 2022-23.
• Cross AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFuel distribution company partnered with The Data Mine for data science projects.
• Finish LinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRetail company engaged in data science projects with students during 2023-24.
• FarfetchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLuxury fashion platform working on data science projects with students in 2021-22.
• Chicago Cubs Baseball AnalyticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor League Baseball team engaged in award prediction analytics projects since 2024-25.
• 3 Rivers Credit UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional credit union partnered with The Data Mine.
• 84.51°coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerData analytics company affiliated with Kroger, engaged with The Data Mine.
• CortevacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural sciences company partnered at Indianapolis location.
• DORIScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch organization working on database design projects since 2021-22.
• Blue Wave AIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAI startup engaged on automated proposals projects since 2023-24.
• WebeeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIoT/technology company working on energy, health, smart irrigation, asset tracking, and manufacturing monitoring projects since 2021-22.
• ViasatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSatellite communications company engaged on NLP, anomaly detection, and UI/UX projects since 2019-2020.
• DormakabaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccess solutions company working on data tidy and SKUniverse projects since 2024-25.
• EvonikminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialty chemicals company engaged on material matrices projects since 2024-25.
• AgReliant GeneticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeed company partnered with The Data Mine for agricultural data science projects.
• CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccounting and consulting firm working on predictive revenue and pricing optimization projects in 2021-22.
• CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific information solutions division of American Chemical Society engaged on data projects since 2022-23.
• Cultivate Food RescueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit food rescue organization working on food models, mapping, and pantry desert projects since 2024-25.
• Wikimedia Deutschland e. V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman Wikimedia chapter engaged in data science projects since 2023-24.
• Yamaha Precision PropellersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarine propulsion company working on scheduling optimization projects since 2022-23.
• ATOMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural technology company partnered with The Data Mine.
• Concrete EngineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAI startup engaged on AI potential projects since 2024-25.
• CelitominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology company working on extraction automation projects since 2024-25.
• CTB (PigCHAMP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwine management software company engaged on data modeling projects since 2024-25.
• DebaterlyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDebate platform startup engaged in data science projects during 2023-24.
• Indianapolis Airport AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment authority partnered at Indianapolis location for student data science projects.
• Dream Center IndianapoliscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation non-profit partnered at Indianapolis location.
• The Indy Learning TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner engaged at Indianapolis location.
• CCSE (Center for CSPAN Scholarship and Engagement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPurdue center working on congressional rhetoric and polarization analysis projects since 2023-24.
• American Mathematical SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional mathematical society partnered with The Data Mine.
• Barrios TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAerospace engineering company partnered with The Data Mine.
• TMap – Make My MoveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMobility services company engaged with The Data Mine.
• Transition PathminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization partnered with The Data Mine.
• Translational HDPMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization partnered with The Data Mine.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Correlation One: Correlation One builds data science training and talent-matching programs with corporate sponsors. Comparable in connecting student/early-career talent to corporate data projects, though structured as a private training company rather than university program.
• Insight Data Science Fellows Program: Insight runs a fellowship program placing data scientists into industry projects. Direct peer in the talent-to-corporate-project pipeline category, though operating as a post-graduate fellowship rather than embedded within a degree program.

Broad incumbents

• MIT (MIT Data Science / MISTI Programs): MIT's IDSS, Data Science programs, and MISTI corporate-sponsored projects connect students with industrial data challenges. Highly comparable corporate-sponsorship model for student-led data work, though at a different institution scale.
• Stanford University (Stanford HAI / Data Science Programs): Stanford's HAI and data science programs run sponsored industry research and student projects. Comparable corporate partnership model targeting Fortune 500 data science use cases, though embedded in a more research-heavy context than The Data Mine's applied-project focus.
• Drexel University (Co-op Program): Drexel pioneered an extended six-month co-op model with deep corporate partnerships across industries. Comparable structure to The Data Mine where students earn academic credit while executing paid corporate projects, though historically engineering-centric.
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI): WPI's signature project-based learning curriculum centers on team-based industry-sponsored projects. Highly comparable to The Data Mine's corporate-project model and living-learning ethos, though spanning multiple disciplines rather than specializing in data science.
• Georgia Tech (Industry Partnership Programs): Georgia Tech's industry partnerships include capstone and sponsored data analytics projects via the Colleges of Computing and Engineering. Closely comparable corporate-project model with strong tech-industry sponsor base.
• University of Michigan (Michigan Institute for Data Science): U-M's MIDAS runs industry-sponsored data science student projects and faculty collaborations. Comparable interdisciplinary data science program with corporate sponsorship, though broader in research scope.
• Carnegie Mellon University Data Science Programs: CMU's Heinz College and School of Computer Science feature industry-sponsored data science capstone projects. Directly comparable to The Data Mine as a top-tier university data science program with corporate sponsorship, though broader in academic structure.
• Northeastern University (Co-op Program): Northeastern runs the most prominent university co-op model in the U.S., integrating multi-month full-time corporate work into degree programs. Comparable to The Data Mine because both monetize corporate partnerships for student-led project work, though Northeastern's model is university-wide rather than data-science focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PurdueDataMine
• YouTubeyoutube.com/purdueuniversity
• Facebookfacebook.com/PurdueDataMine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/purduedatamine
• Instagraminstagram.com/purduedatamine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Data Mine - Purdue University