At the young age of just 10 years old, Sole Case Display’s founder Charles Rind already had a passion for footwear and fashion. “In 2003, I first laid my eyes on the patent leather Air Jordan 1 Retro sneaker in the Chicago Bulls colorway,” he said. “Ever since that moment I was hooked.” A year […]
Category: Startups
Learn about some of the amazing student startup companies at the University of Utah. Students from all departments are inventing new products and starting businesses.
Clean Transportation with CleanFare
At the age of 16, Sam Hirsch became a social entrepreneur when he founded CleanFare — a mobile app that gives points to people using clean transportation by walking, biking and taking the train or bus. The app allows users to log in and get points and achievement awards as it tracks their mileage of […]
Curie Wear: STEM Clothing for Girls
After noticing a huge gap in clothing for young girls, Hillary Whitaker, a University of Utah accounting student, started Curie Wear in 2016, a company that designs custom fabrics focused on STEM. They keep their clothing designs feminine for young girls. As Whitaker said, “It is important to emphasize femininity and let girls know it […]
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 […]
Is Your Idea Ready to Take the Plunge?
Deciding to start something new is intimidating. There’s a lot you don’t know and there’s an eerie feeling that comes with stepping out into the void of the unknown. However, over time, as you accumulate more knowledge, you become more comfortable. Therefore, it comes as no great surprise that many founders have worked with a […]
So You’re a CEO … Now What?
You’ve decided to start a company, whether by yourself or with a few other folks, and now that company wants to actually do something. One of the first steps of every new venture is deciding who does what, and one of you will presumably take over the position as CEO. What then? Being the CEO […]
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 […]
From SWOT to “So What?”: A New Method for Analyzing Outcomes
SWOT analyses have been used by marketers for years while planning for the outcome of anything, from a product to an individual, in a specific market. SWOT is an acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and is generally laid out in a four-plot grid, filled out with lists. While these analyses are the traditional […]
Deziria Chocolates: ‘The Most Desired Taste’
Passion for chocolate has been a source of happiness regardless of age, nationality or gender for centuries. A number of studies support this fact by demonstrating chocolate boosts morale and reduces stress. Hakan Erdagoz, a University of Utah Ph.D. student in political science at the U, was always amazed by the taste of German chocolates […]
Big Red Jelly: Marketing through Brand Storytelling
The Tiburonia Granrojo, better known as the “big red jellyfish,” was discovered in 2003. Although it is an unknown species to most, the jellyfish is considered the world’s most efficient animal. That is much like what Big Red Jelly, a University of Utah student startup, wants to provide through a marketing and strategy formula in the […]