The product-turned-startup of one Auburn University student is reshaping STEM education for school-aged children, from kindergarten to middle school, after winning a $75,000 award.
A study by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation reported that interest in electrical engineering is not enough to keep up with the growing job market. With support from Alabama Launchpad, Joseph Rusk, senior in electrical engineering, created The Breadboard Company to bridge this gap, starting by teaching children.
“I would describe The Breadboard Company to be an electronics brand that's trying to make learning electronics and engineering fun and easy for kids, because right now it's very intimidating, and it's very hard to learn,” Rusk said.
The Breadboard Company's electronics starter kit. | Contributed by Joseph Rusk.
A breadboard is a platform for building semi-permanent prototypes of electronic circuits. It earned its name because the bases started out as actual bread cutting boards. With the name sticking around through the decades, Rusk was inspired.
“We use breadboards in our classes all the time, and last summer, I just thought it'd be really funny if it looked like a slice of bread,” Rusk said. “From that, I thought of when I was learning electronics to get into electrical engineering, it was very intimidating and hard and not fun. I thought, if I can make that process a lot more fun and easier for beginners, that maybe more people would get into electrical engineering and actually enjoy it.”
With this idea, Rusk entered the Auburn Ideas Jam, a free competition that allows aspiring entrepreneurs to pitch their idea to a panel of judges for a monetary prize. Auburn Ideas Jam is hosted by the Lowder Center for Family Business and Entrepreneurship, which seeks to support Alabama entrepreneurs at any stage. Following his win at Ideas Jam, Rusk took part in the 2025 Halloween Business Idea Pitch.
“The Halloween Pitch was a little bit more intimidating, because there’s a bigger audience, and it was really good preparation for Tiger Cage,” Rusk said.
The Tiger Cage Business Idea Competition invites entrepreneurs to compete for a $105,000 prize pool. While Rusk did not place in the top five, enough people believed in his product to award him with the Thomas Walter Center Award for $5,000.
Rusk’s experience at Tiger Cage taught him what made a pitch successful. He observed his fellow competitors, especially those that placed in the top five, and took note of what they employed in their pitches.
“If you can make a story out of it and put emotion and show why you really love what you're doing, I think that judges love to see that,” Rusk said.
Rusk reflected on what had drawn him to electrical engineering in the first place. His grandfather was an electrical engineer and inspired Rusk to follow in his footsteps. With an emotional hook, he had a story to tell the judges instead of simply a pitch. His story, paired with the experience he gained at Auburn’s pitch competitions and an innovative idea, landed him the top prize of $75,000 at Alabama Launchpad's Cycle 1 Technology Division finals on May 7.
"They [Alabama Launchpad] have different milestones," Rusk said. "The first goal is to build 1,000 units, and the next milestone is to market it. I'm in the process of ordering all the materials for those 1,000 units, but definitely trying to sell those 1,000 before I graduate is the goal."
At Chewacla State Park, Rusk was able to give his product a trial run with the target audience — children from kindergarten to middle school. At the Kidcam Camp Programs, kids learned to work with his product, an electronics starter kit from Rusk’s business, The Breadboard Company. Rusk took note of their reactions, feedback and how quickly they learned to work with the Lego-like design.
Looking past graduation, Rusk’s goals include using the winnings from these various competitions to expand The Breadboard Company.
“I should have everything set up by the end of this summer, as far as having the whole kit designed, and start selling by the end of the summer,” Rusk said. “I've always wanted to make my own business, and I feel like with the grants and the winnings from different competitions here at Auburn, that I really am able to because of that. My goal in the next year is just to grow it big enough to where I could do it myself and possibly hire some friends that are very talented and make it a very successful company.”
Rusk attributes part of his success to the mentorship he has received from both New Venture Accelerator and Innovate Alabama. New Venture Accelerator, which hosts the Halloween Pitch and Tiger Cage, is managed by the Harbert College of Business and the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation. The goal of New Venture Accelerator is to give a space to Auburn students, faculty and staff to explore new ideas and develop entrepreneurial skills.
“It’s just a really great space to be in at New Venture Accelerator, because there’s probably about 12 to 15 different companies that are student-led, and you can all learn so much from each other,” Rusk said. “I’ll meet with my mentor, Dan Leonardi, who used to be the VP of Kellogg’s, and he just has so much business knowledge.”
Innovate Alabama is a public-private partnership whose goal is to support and empower entrepreneurs in Alabama. Rusk’s mentor, Terry Chapman, has used the Innovate Alabama grant to pay for The Breadboard Company’s boxes, LLC and opportunities, such as tech conferences.
“They [Leonardi and Chapman] have been able to help me out and make this business successful through their mentorship,” Rusk said.
The Breadboard Company’s electronics starter kit is not currently for sale, but interested buyers can pre-order it on the company's website.
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Layla Hyatt, junior in journalism and public and professional writing, has been with The Auburn Plainsman since Fall 2025. Hyatt previously served as a Lifestyle Writer and Assistant Lifestyle Editor. She is currently serving as the Lifestyle Editor.
