Can a game get you walking your pet, even if it’s a virtual pet? U MBA student and co-founder of StepPets, Tim Cooley, is developing a game where players compete with pets they earn by walking more and more each day. The players earn, raise and train their virtual pets in a fun and exciting […]
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.
NITEOUT: AN APP TO IMPROVE YOUR NIGHTLIFE
It’s Friday night, and you need a break from classes and homework. Where will you find your friends? Now, there’s an app for that! NiteOut is a new, socially driven application. “This is a quick way to check the scene at local bars or at an event,” said Jeffrey Morelli, NiteOut cofounder. “Never again will […]
XCADATION: USING GAMES TO IMPROVE STUDENT BEHAVIOR
While only a paper prototype, a game being developed by U graduate students is already reducing bullying and increasing attendance in classes in a local elementary school. “One mother told us it used to be a struggle to get her kid to school on time, but after the game, he pushes her to get him […]
FORMIDABLE TOYS: MEDIEVAL SWORDS FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES
Prime Swords by Formidable Toys are just as appealing to kids as adults with a nerd streak or an itch for mortal combat. “When people see our swords, it captures their imagination,” said Mark Jarman, an Entertainment Arts and Engineering student who helped launch the company. Jarman drew the first prototypes in 2012, when his […]
Cupcake Idea Takes Student from ‘Cupcake Wars’ to Franchise in Mumbai, India.
University of Utah alum Erik Larsen started a cupcake company in the U’s Foundry program and had no idea what would happen next. The idea exploded, taking him to the Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars” and leading to the chance of a lifetime. When University of Utah student Erik Larsen sent in his promo video for […]
SAKPANTS: “COZIEST PANTS IN THE WORLD”
Looking for the perfect gift for someone with everything? How about the “coziest pants in the world?” A pair of U students has launched a line of uniquely designed pants — dubbed Sakpants — through a university-sponsored entrepreneurship program and a crowdsource funding campaign to raise money. Students Brayden Iwasaki, a graphic design graduate, and […]
ELEVATED DESIGNS: PRINTING INNOVATION IN THREE DIMENSIONS
Think about how frustrating paper printers can be — there are jams, spills and alignment problems galore. Now add another dimension of complexity, and you begin to understand why 3-D printing isn’t as simple as it may seem. Two undergraduate students are learning this lesson firsthand while launching their company, Elevated Designs. They provide 3-D-printing […]
BLYNCSY: TRACKING THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE EVERYWHERE
On the lookout for his next startup idea and sitting impatiently in his car at a traffic light, Mark Pittman put two and two together — “there has got to be a better way to do this,” he thought. A graduate student studying business and law at the U, Pittman initially wanted to coordinate traffic […]
FORMIDABLE TOYS: MEDIEVAL SWORDS FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES
Prime Swords by Formidable Toys are just as appealing to kids as adults with a nerd streak or an itch for mortal combat. “When people see our swords, it captures their imagination,” said Mark Jarman, an Entertainment Arts and Engineering student who helped launch the company. Jarman drew the first prototypes in 2012, when his […]
SimPayX Reinvents Mobile Payments
Student startup SimPayX is developing a mobile payment platform that allows people to search for the best product for their needs based on price, inventory and brand, and they won $5,000 in the U’s techTITANS competition to advance their idea. Based on a patent-pending authorization algorithm, SimPayX reduces the security threat in a mobile payment. […]