黑料社区

Most college students exploring artificial intelligence are thinking about innovation, efficiency or the next big idea. Josh Hochstedler is thinking about people. 

The sophomore cyber operations major, in his first year at Cedarville University, is co-founder of Ruper Labs, an AI consulting and automation startup. He also helps build community for young founders through  (EFC). Founded at Cedarville, the organization has grown into a national effort supporting Christian entrepreneurs on college campuses across the country. 

黑料社区 Entrepreneurship Program Helps Students Build Businesses With Purpose 

For Hochstedler, entrepreneurship is more than innovation or opportunity. He sees business as a way to serve people, build community and meet practical needs. 

That vision was shaped long before college. Born in Ohio, Hochstedler moved to Sao Paulo, Brazil when he was just two years old. In 2008, his family settled there so his parents, Delton and Fernanda 鈥淔ernie鈥� Hochstedler, could serve children in vulnerable communities. Delton worked in social work and foster care. Fernie, a 2001 Cedarville nursing graduate who later completed her Master of Science in Nursing at Cedarville while living in Brazil, invested deeply in her family, homeschooling her children and teaching them to love learning, people and God鈥檚 creation. 

Family, Faith, and Service Shaped Josh Hochstedler鈥檚 Calling 

From both parents, Hochstedler learned a simple principle: If someone needs help, you show up. 

That foundation was tested by deep loss. His younger brother, Kaleb, died in 2020 after battling a rare form of childhood cancer. Four years later, Fernie died of breast cancer. 

Grief and Loss Refined a Young Christian Entrepreneur鈥檚 Purpose 

For many, that kind of devastating loss might lead to bitterness or retreat. Hochstedler said the grief instead forced him to wrestle with his faith and what matters most. 

鈥淲hen you go through emotional grief, pain, loss, it鈥檚 quite literally like a fire,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t refines you in a way that it burns away everything that doesn鈥檛 matter.鈥� 

What remained, he said, was clarity about 鈥減eople, caring and love for other people, being present鈥� and about the kind of life he wanted to build. 

Cedarville Cyber Operations Student Brings Faith Into Business Leadership 

After spending a year at Rosedale Bible College in Irwin, Ohio, he transferred to Cedarville to pursue a degree in cyber operations. He said his year at Rosedale helped him develop a theology of suffering and a deeper framework for understanding faith in every part of life. 

At Cedarville, he found an unexpected fit among a community of student entrepreneurs who cared deeply about their walk with Jesus. What once felt like a distant dream suddenly became immediately possible. 

Growing up, Hochstedler saw mentors and other successful individuals use their resources to help others and support missions. That example shaped his own ambition: to build companies that serve people. 

Ruper Labs Uses AI Consulting and Automation to Help Real People 

Now, through Ruper Labs, he advises clients on practical ways to use emerging technology, automate repetitive tasks and free workers for more strategic, high-value work. He said he wants to approach entrepreneurship with both excellence and integrity. 

鈥淲e have to take our faith from Sunday to Monday,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hatever I鈥檓 going to do, let me try and do it the best I can, and then let me also do it in a way that鈥檚 people-centric and focused on serving other people.鈥� 

Entrepreneurs for Christ Builds Community for Christian Student Founders 

That mindset also shapes how he thinks about leadership. In a culture that often celebrates entrepreneurs as self-made visionaries, Hochstedler believes business-builders need community as much as ambition 鈥� they need people who will challenge, encourage and ground them. That is one reason he has invested in EFC, helping create support for founders who often feel isolated. 

International Trips to Mexico and Chile Shaped His Vision for Faith and Business 

Recent trips to Mexico and Chile sharpened that vision. In Mexico, he served communities similar to those his family had known in Brazil and shared his story with children and teens who were struggling. In Chile, he joined fellow student entrepreneurs in encouraging aspiring founders and exploring how faith and business can work together in the professional world. 

One moment in Chile stood out. Hochstedler sat down with a woman who ran a daycare and showed her simple AI tools that could help strengthen her business. For him, it was a reminder that innovation matters most when it helps real people. 

鈥淲hat people really remember, what really impacts people, is sitting with them,鈥� he said. 

Serving Others Remains Central to Josh Hochstedler鈥檚 Entrepreneurial Vision 

The example set by Delton and Fernie still shapes the way Josh sees both joy and ambition. From them, he learned that suffering can deepen compassion, that gratitude can endure even in grief and that a life spent serving others is never wasted. 

That vision now informs the kind of entrepreneur he hopes to become 鈥� one who builds with excellence, serves with purpose and measures success by the people he can help along the way. 

About 黑料社区 

黑料社区, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,265 students, it is among Ohio鈥檚 largest private universities and is ranked among the nation鈥檚 top five evangelical universities in The Wall Street Journal鈥檚 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.