The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute – a top-5 ranked division of the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah – welcomed a new group of Lassonde Founders for the 2025-26 academic year. Thirty-one students were admitted into the residential entrepreneur program for undergraduate students. They moved into Lassonde Studios in August for the 2025-26 academic year. Find a complete list of the admitted students below.
“The students in this program have the opportunity to live and launch together as part of a thriving entrepreneur community,” said Scott Holley, executive director at the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. “We’re excited to support them as they launch their businesses and develop skills that will help them beyond graduation.”
The students admitted into the program applied by explaining their business idea and why they wanted to learn about entrepreneurship. In the program, they receive a scholarship to live at Lassonde Studios, a nationally recognized innovation center and dorm. They also receive personalized support for their startup ideas from the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute.
Lassonde Founders live with other student entrepreneurs, allowing them to learn from each other. They join entrepreneurship classes and are invited to complete the Lassonde+X experience program to apply entrepreneurship to their major (the X), gain entrepreneurial skills, and earn a transcript designation.
Outside of the classroom, students gain practical entrepreneurial experience. They are encouraged to launch their ideas and support their peers while building creative problem-solving skills. Lassonde Founders also have access to grants, workshops, mentor opportunities, makerspace, and much more provided by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute.
The Lassonde Founders admitted this year come from across the country and have many different majors. Their business ideas are even more diverse. The resources and support provided by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute will help them hone their ideas, develop a business model, build prototypes, and much more. They will be working toward creating a sustainable business.
Madeline Schomaker is a first-year student in the Lassonde Founders program. She is from Park City, Utah, and is studying games. She hopes to make the video game community more accessible.
“I want to create a company that produces high-quality, inexpensive games without unfair monetizing practices,” she said.
Kingsley Sarkissian is a civil and environmental engineering student from Redwood City, Calif. As a Lassonde Founder, he plans to focus on sustainability.
“I want to create a more sustainable way to refill bottled soap through the use of a machine that is similar to a soda fountain,” he said.
The other Lassonde Founders have similar stories and passions.
Learn more about the program here: lassonde.utah.edu/founders. All incoming and current undergraduate students at the University of Utah are welcome to apply.
2025-26 Lassonde Founders
Here are the students accepted into the Lassonde Founders program for the 2025-26 academic year (in alphabetical order):
- Joya Alhadeff — Boulder, Colo. (hometown) — Games (subject studying)
- Marebelle Armstrong — Jackson, Wyo. — Psychology
- Braydon Blanchette — Saunderstown, R.I. — Entrepreneurship
- Johnathan Bruns — Draper, Utah — Business Administration
- Avelene Celinski — Los Gatos, Calif. — Psychology
- Hayden Clark — Jackson, Wyo. — Entrepreneurship
- Summit Esser — Murray, Utah — Pre-Med
- Joshua FitzPatrick — Salt Lake City, Utah — Undecided
- Cooper Goff — Salt Lake City, Utah — Entrepreneurship
- Gabriel Gold — Draper, Utah — Mechanical Engineering
- Jake Hassan — West Vancouver, British Columbia — Business Administration
- Sarah Hoare — Dalton Gardens, Idaho — Design
- Parker Mason — Santaquin, Utah — Entrepreneurship
- Sarah McMahon — Trabuco Canyon, Calif. — Business Administration
- Wylie Mease — Naperville, Ill. — Entrepreneurship
- Ryder Miller — Lititz, Pa. — Mechanical Engineering
- Misty Mitchell — Eagle Mountain, Utah — Economics
- Charles Morris — Elkhart, Ind. — Business Administration
- John Niederhauser — Eagle, Idaho — Business Administration
- Neils Peterson — Sandy, Utah — Undecided
- Alice Pettingill — Herriman, Utah — Entrepreneurship
- Meredith Powers — Stratton, Vt. — Business Administration
- Benjamin Rabinowitz — Boerne, Texas — Entrepreneurship
- Sienna Riggs — Tonalea, Ariz. — Biochemistry
- Kingsley Sarkissian — Redwood City, Calif. — Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Trinity Sauk — Sandy, Utah — Entrepreneurship
- Madeline Schomaker — Park City, Utah — Games
- Keegan Skallerup — Lake Zurich, Ill. — Business Administration
- Chase Szigeti — Londonderry, Vt. — Design
- Gavin Thomsen — Laguna Niguel, Calif. — Entrepreneurship
- Amelia Weyerstall — Salt Lake City, Utah — Marketing
About the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is a nationally ranked hub for student entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Utah and an interdisciplinary division of the David Eccles School of Business. The first programs were offered in 2001, through the vision and support of Pierre Lassonde, an alumnus of the Eccles School and successful mining entrepreneur. The institute now provides opportunities for thousands of students to learn about entrepreneurship and innovation. Programs include workshops, networking events, business-plan competitions, startup support, innovation programs, graduate and alumni programs, scholarships, community outreach and more. All programs are open to students from any academic major or background. The Lassonde Institute also manages Lassonde Studios, a five-story innovation space and housing facility for all students. Learn more at lassonde.utah.edu.
