Technically, Rupt (PPAI 826757, Silver) is the smallest company to be named to PPAI 100 in the list’s first three years. If you took a look at founder Jason Lucash’s passport, however, you probably wouldn’t know it.
Lucash and the rest of the Rupt team, though small, have been busy around the globe keeping the supplier on the tips of tongues throughout the promo industry. Having only announced the launch of the company at The PPAI Expo 2024, Rupt debuted on the 2025 PPAI 100 as the No. 81 supplier.
“To be named to the PPAI 100 just one year after we shipped our first order in April of 2024 is truly remarkable and instant validation that starting Rupt was the right choice,” Lucash said from Berlin, where he was on business.
- Rupt is the creation of Lucash and Mike Symczak, the original founders of Origaudio, which was eventually acquired by HPG, PPAI 100’s No. 4 supplier.
- The duo’s return to the promo industry involved a focus on sustainable and sleek products.
- Rupt was the winner of The Pitch at The PPAI Expo 2025.
Additionally, the company’s launch included Rupt Ventures, which invests venture capital money into strategically selected suppliers that align with the Rupt vision and aesthetic. Since its inception, Rupt has invested in companies such as RIPL Goods, Desk Plants, Swanky and its biggest investment to date, Denik.
- St. Louis-based supplier Sweeter Cards was Rupt Ventures’ first strategic investment, which was realized after being acquired by Maple Ridge Farms, PPAI 100’s No. 49 supplier.
‘Where This Industry Is Going‘
Along with Growth and Industry Faith, Rupt stood out in PPAI 100’s scoring system with high marks in Innovation and Responsibility. Its modern approach to both products and presentation are about more than trying to be perceived as the industry’s buzzy, new company. The supplier’s leaders know that resisting a sustainable mindset is what could hold promo back and innovative logistical approaches are what will propel it forward.
“We started Rupt with a clear mission: Build a promotional products supplier that isn’t stuck in the past but built entirely for where this industry is going,” Lucash says.
Small? Yes, relative to some of the industry’s giant suppliers, but the firm has the capital to take risks. And being new brings a sort of freedom from the constraints of traditional thinking. Some established companies may, understandably, be wary of moving away from what works well. It’s no coincidence that the word Rupt makes you think of the word “disrupt.”
Jason Lucash
CEO & Co-founder, Rupt
Take tariffs, for example. The conventional wisdom, amid a roller coaster of tariffs on Chinese imports, would be to strategically back away from Chinese sourcing, if possible, and look for alternative countries of origin or just pause operations, hoping the dust will settle on tariffs.
Rupt, on the other hand, made the decision in April to double down and order a significant amount of inventory from China after a recent visit to the country. The team at Rupt sees the current window as an opportunity not unlike months during the height of COVID-19. The supplier expects to be able to service all the distributors that don’t have stock to sell because of tariff-related sourcing issues. If it’s an opportunity to create a large market share, Rupt will be ready.
The way the promo industry works is successful. There’s little doubt about that. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t pain points for distributors, and according to Rupt’s leaders, the supplier operates strategically to address those issues.
“We’re running three global production facilities, shipping internationally daily, turning around fully custom products with no minimum in 48 hours and giving our customers the kind of experience they didn’t think was possible in this space,” Lucash says. “And they’ve rallied around it, not just because it’s faster and more design-forward, but because it’s rooted in a belief that this industry can do better.”
The company has managed to make a splash in the industry in a short amount of time, but there’s no expectations that there will be a come down or that Rupt will be a flash in the pain. The team is operating with long-term growth in mind, and the do better mentality is the leading priority.
PPAI 100 wasn’t designed to showcase size and revenue. It was meant to allow members to help us define what a holistic company looks like. Rupt earned its place on the list. Right now, the “smallest company” in PPAI 100 can be a point of pride, but it’s not a claim the company intends to keep for much longer.
“This recognition from PPAI validates that belief [that the industry can do better],” Lucash says. “It proves that even in under a year, it’s possible to make noise, push the boundaries and be taken seriously as a force in the market, even if you’re the smallest company on the list. For now.”
