THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX: ANDON RUSSELL, TECHNOLOGY, AND THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
July 2, 2025 by Daniel Castaneda
BY: SUNNIE DAWN BAKER
Andon Russell is always looking for his next entrepreneurial opportunity. He founded his own business, Russ-Tech Industries, before his freshman year of college and, despite being a full-time student at ECU, Russell has managed to keep his business steady and consistent. However, running his own business and taking a full load of classes is not enough to fulfill Russell’s creative potential. He has since branched out into developing web applications, some of which he calls his “weekend projects”, while others can have a lasting impact on the STEM community.
One of his weekend projects is Quantalyst, which teaches the user about picking stocks and lets them experiment with different trading algorithms without using their own money. Russell loves using a gamified perspective when it comes to learning or teaching new things. If it is a game, then the user is going to be more likely to enjoy it and learn without even realizing they are learning, in this case delving into a new form of stock trading that is becoming increasingly popular.
Another of his weekend projects is CipherQuest, which has the tagline “Master internet mysteries through playable stories.” This project deals with ARG, or Alternate Reality Gaming, which are puzzle games that lean heavily into cryptography and interactive storytelling. Russell has always enjoyed these types of games, and he saw that custom ARGs could help companies recruit and evaluate software talent in a gamified way. It would show the company how an individual solves problems and recognizes patterns, as well as other aspects of their personality.
While these smaller projects have the potential for a big impact, he has spent the most time on a project near and dear to him personally—Botcentral. Russell’s journey into technology began at the Chickasaw Nation STEM Academy when he was young. Under the tutelage of Luke Kerr, the robotics program made him realize that he had a deep passion for technology and it changed the course of his life. He led the FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC) varsity team as captain and mentored the team last year, and you can learn more about the Chickasaw Nation’s Robotics program and FRC here. However, as much as Russell loved the competition, he was also acutely aware of challenges that exist beyond the actual work of building, programming, and controlling of the robot. This led him to create Botcentral.
Botcentral is a comprehensive online platform for FRC teams, built specifically for the unique needs of this competition. Russell drew from his own experience of competing in FRC for four years but also contacted other teams around the country to see what would be most helpful for them. The platform includes CAD libraries, software simulators, wiring diagrams, project management, and more. There is a tab for inventory and budget management, which is a much more important part of the process now than it has been in the past; new rules aim to close the budget gap between small rural schools and large well-funded ones, making inventory and budget management more important than ever.
The platform also gives teams the ability to assign roles for team members, as well as training for both students and mentors. Because FRC requires so many different skills, modules that teach CAD fundamentals, electrical systems, programming basics, and strategy development are extremely helpful. Russell has also integrated the rulebook into a chatbot to help teams find the answers they need. Every year new rules are added to the 164-page rulebook. Reading and fully processing the changes each year takes a significant amount of time for teams. Having a chatbot easily accessible to answer specific questions can literally be a game changer for some of these teams.
Russell is a tech entrepreneur with many ideas, but he is also always willing to share them as well. Each of these projects could become a viable business for Russell. They also offer opportunities to collaborate with other entrepreneurs, since time is limited and each project has the potential to support companies, organizations, and individuals. Whether it is teaching people how to utilize stock trading algorithms or helping robotics teams perform at their full potential, Russell is always looking to the future, using his own talents to improve the lives of those around him.
Written by
Daniel Castaneda
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