THE ORIGIN STORY The Hustle House was born out of Entrepreneurs for Christ (EFC), an organization created by Cedarville marketing major Will Woods '27 to equip Christian entrepreneurs with a Kingdom mindset. The Hustle House name stems from his desire to encourage community over seclusion, redefining entrepreneurship’s hustle culture. Aaron Perry ’26, an economics major and EFC board member, helped to inspire the vision and rally other students to it. “We wanted to pursue our businesses while still doing the school side of it, but we wanted to have a place to be able to push each other.” Part of accomplishing that mission meant building a community of Christ-followers who could encourage each other and exchange wisdom as they built their businesses. Ben ’26 and Daniel Ormsbee ’26, brothers who both attend Cedarville, bought in and had friends willing to do the same. They also recruited a transfer student, Josh Hochstedler ’28, a cyber operations major who dreamed of starting a business that would protect churches and missions organizations from cyber-attacks. A few additions later, The Hustle House dream became a reality. In The Hustle House, EFC found a localized version of what it hopes to cultivate nationwide: business owners committed to their faith and each other. That ambition is the key reason Hochstedler jumped on board. “The American ‘do it alone, grind harder,’ that’s not what we see in the Bible. Community is super important, walking in accountability and in partnership with other men.” LIFE IN THE HUSTLE HOUSE True to their goal, the young entrepreneurs support each other's ventures. The house has its own boardroom and collaboration spaces where housemates come together to bounce ideas off each other and work through the complex problems that entrepreneurs face. “On most nights, you’ll find several guys working together in the conference room or living room, often with laptops open even during downtime,” Perry said. “Work and friendship naturally blend together.” Through business partnership and biblical fellowship, deep friendships have formed. Perry said that the group prioritizes community through “weekly Bible studies, one-on-one lunches, and hosting friends for brunch and dinners at the house.” This community approach has spurred on the entrepreneurs to business success. Since forming The Hustle House, six of the seven housemates have started businesses, with the seventh doing so well as a salesperson that he generated over $250,000 in sales in just a three-month period. Three of these businesses engage thoughtfully and creatively with AI. RUPER LABS: CONNECTING TECHNOLOGY WITH PEOPLE Toward the end of 2025, Perry and Hochstedler attended Cedarville’s Impact conference, an event meant to encourage professionals to stand firm for Christ in the business world. They interacted with professionals who were desperate to implement AI but did not have the time to understand its potential role in their organizations. Recent research shows that what Perry and Hochstedler witnessed was just part of an issue that’s incredibly widespread. The Harvard Business Review reported that while 88% of companies use AI, their frustrations with implementing it were palpable. Employees often struggle to understand the technology or identify how it will help them in their specific jobs. After hearing the angst from fellow conferencegoers, Perry and Hochstedler saw a gap in the market that they could fill. “We both have this passion for connecting people and technology, because technology oftentimes is a whole other language,” Hochstedler said. So together, they formed their own business: Ruper Labs. At Ruper Labs, Perry and Hochstedler serve commercial and residential construction companies by Through business partnership and biblical fellowship, deep friendships have formed. Perry said that the group prioritizes community through “weekly Bible studies, one-on-one lunches, and hosting friends for brunch and dinners at the house.” 24
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