Not all students working at the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute become serial entrepreneurs. Some develop valuable skills that they apply to many other industries and professions. Katherine Aiello is one of these students. Aiello participated in the Pierre and Claudette Lassonde New Venture Development Center in 2016-17, while pursuing a Ph.D. in bioengineering at the University of […]
Category: Alumni
We have a thriving alumni community. Learn what’s new by reading about alumni news, announcements and opportunities. Go Utes!
From Poverty to E-commerce Mogul in Tanzania
When Bonaventure Mhonda was a child in rural Tanzania, it would have been impossible for him to think he would do anything like graduate from the University of Utah with a master’s in finance and become an e-commerce entrepreneur. Most people in his local area are poor, families struggle to feed themselves, and children walk […]
Doxy.me: Turning Risk into Reward
For some entrepreneurs, taking an unexpected opportunity all the way really pays off. Doxy.me is an online platform created by Brandon Welch that allows doctors to visit with their patients online through video calls, for free. In 2012, Welch was a Ph.D. student at the University of Utah in biomedical infographics. While working on a […]
Diversity, Hiring & Why It Matters: 3 Lessons
I’m a 20-something-year-old, Caucasian, American, male living in Utah. Diversity is not the first thing anyone thinks when they meet me. And rightfully so. I’m part of the most privileged class of people in the world. Not only was I born in a developed country, am I college educated, come from Caucasian descent but I also […]
Building Your First MVP with Limited Funds
A common thought among early entrepreneurs and product designers is to build the final version of a product or software before they start selling it. This is wrong. My goal is to walk you through three examples of how I built a minimum viable product, an MVP, to gain feedback and even sales without ever […]
Q&A: Breaking into the Big Data Industry
If the startups that entrepreneurs created were reflections of their minds, Mark Pittman’s Blyncsy – a company that generates and aggregates big data from any internet-connected device – would fit the bill. It’s because of Pittman’s desire to make sense of an interconnected world that Blyncsy successfully secured $2.6 million in venture capital from Pelion Venture […]
Lassonde Studios Now Open!
It’s now open! The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah opened the doors in August to the $45 million Lassonde Studios, a one-of-a-kind facility where students can live, create new products and launch companies. A dedication and open house will be held on Thursday, Sept. 22. Public tours will be from 12:30 to […]
New Book: ‘The College Entrepreneur’
Many students struggle to find work that is interesting and rewarding when they graduate. You can’t follow the same well-worn path of simply “getting good grades and a degree” and expect different results. In fact, a lot of the value and opportunities that a university has to offer lies outside of the classroom. “The College […]
Tips for Entrepreneurs from Peke•Buo Founder
No matter what your circumstances, becoming an entrepreneur is not easy. The hours are long. The future is uncertain. And challenges hit you at every turn. If you want help finding your path to success, it helps to find a good role model … someone like Sariah Tate, one of many female entrepreneurs on the […]
Student View: Why Join the New Venture Development Center?
Have you ever wondered what it is like to work for a startup? What is it like to have an idea and make it a business? Do you like entrepreneurship? Do you like to be challenged? It was about a year ago when I started thinking about these same questions. That’s why, after graduating as […]