Rising senior in electrical and computer engineering wins first place, $75,000 at Alabama Launchpad pitch competition

Joseph Rusk, a rising senior in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, won Alabama Launchpad’s Cycle 1 2026 Technology Division finals on May 7 in Birmingham, securing the $75,000 top prize for his startup, The BreadBoard Company.

“Winning Alabama Launchpad is life-changing,” said Rusk, a volunteer  and director of STEM Education at TigerWings, a nonprofit with an after-school program. “We are now able to move into the next stage of launching our product, which would have been far more difficult without this award. I will be using it to buy inventory, market our product, and hire interns to help make the process of launching it faster. With this award, I will be able to turn my funny idea into a successful business.”

His funny idea? A kit designed to make electronics education more accessible for children and beginners. The redesigned circuit breadboard uses snap‑on templates and simplified instructions to remove the intimidation factor that often discourages first‑time learners.

“A breadboard has hundreds of holes, and if you don’t already know how the rows connect on the inside, it can be intimidating,” said Rusk, a volunteer and director of STEM Education at TigerWings, a nonprofit with an after‑school program. “When I started making templates that cover the holes that aren’t being used, it made it a lot easier for a kid to understand.”

Rusk is no stranger to pitch competitions. He won a combined $1,000 at Auburn’s Ideas Jam and Halloween Pitch competitions last fall, then another $5,000 (Thomas Walter Center Award) at Tiger Cage this spring.

At Alabama Launchpad, competitors were given 15 minutes to pitch their business ideas before industry‑professional judges, followed by a 40‑minute question‑and‑answer round.

Rusk said this event “felt more like a conversation with judges rather than an interrogation.”

“I thought the 40 minutes of questions were going to be difficult, but it was a fun experience,” he said. “I think the judges really liked me as a person and my passion for engineering as well as the goal for The BreadBoard Company to inspire kids to become future engineers. They also couldn't stop talking about how much they loved the branding and were really impressed on how much I've been able to do on my own.”

Where does Rusk attribute his success? Family.

“He was an electrical engineer and always made engineering easy and fun for me to understand,” Rusk said. “He also was a business owner and always wanted me to start my own business and work for myself. My passion for engineering and business would not exist without him. I also want to thank my parents for always believing in me and pushing me to get out of my comfort zone and do competitions. I would not be here without their support.

“My Auburn education has helped me expand on my creative ideas by giving me the skills to be able to make the things that I come up with.”

Pitch competition season may be over, but Rusk is putting The Breadboard Company to work this summer. He will lead hands‑on lessons for children attending Kidcam Camps at Chewacla Park.

A program of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, Alabama Launchpad is the state’s most active early‑stage seed fund, providing entrepreneurs with mentorship, expert guidance and the chance to compete for funding that helps turn early‑stage ideas into successful startups.

Alabama Launchpad has been a breeding ground in the past for successful Auburn Engineering entrepreneurs. Mechanical engineering alumnus Will Bryan, CEO of Autonoma, won first place and $50,000 at Launchpad’s early-seed stage Cycle 3 competition finals in December 2023.

Graduate researcher Yuan Tian and Chemical Engineering Professor Elizabeth Lipke co-founded VivoSphere, a tissue-engineered platform for 3D tumor modeling, and won first place and $25,000 in Alabama Launchpad’s Cycle 2 concept stage finals in August 2023. They compete again Thursday, May 14, in Alabama Launchpad’s Life Sciences Division finals.