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It is impressive when a student- or faculty-founded new venture wins top honors at Alabama's premier new business pitch competition. It is extraordinary when the winning teams from the two most competitive divisions of Alabama Launchpad come from a single university's entrepreneurship ecosystem.
But that's exactly what transpired in May when Auburn New Venture Accelerator (NVA) start-ups The Breadboard Company and VivoSphere each won first place in their respective Alabama Launchpad competitions, taking home a combined $175,000 in non-dilutive funding along with expanded mentoring and new business formation services.
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Joseph Rusk's The Breadboard Company is inspiring the next generation of STEM leaders by making robotics and electronics approachable for young learners through hands-on kits, step-by-step instructions and engaging video tutorials that encourage students to explore STEM fields while building confidence through creativity and innovation. Rusk is a senior majoring in electrical engineering.
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Co-founded by Samuel Ginn College of Engineering former PhD researcher Yuan Tian and Chemical Engineering Professor Elizabeth Lipke, VivoSphere helps pharma and biotech companies identify failing drug candidates earlier and reduce reliance on animal testing through scalable engineered organoid technology.
The New Venture Accelerator is jointly managed and governed by Auburn University's Harbert College of Business and the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation.
Learn more about the winning teams and competition by reading NVA's article