Professional Advice for Your Idea

expertsHours with Experts is open to all University of Utah students to get expert advice in many fields. We have lawyers, accountants, marketers, project managers, experienced entrepreneurs, and more. Through this program, students sign up for one-on-one sessions to meet privately with an expert to discuss a project. The private appointments are first-come, first-served, and the experts available vary by date and time. Browse upcoming one-on-one sessions and register below. Do you want to join our community as an expert mentor? We are always looking for new people and those with unique or useful skills to advise student entrepreneurs. Complete this form to become an expert mentor.

Schedule a Meeting

Browse available experts and appointments below, then schedule a meeting. You should receive an appointment confirmation via email. Meeting locations, including virtual meeting links, are provided after registration.

Staff

Scott Holley

Executive Director, Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute

Scott is an entrepreneur and business executive with experience in acquisition entrepreneurship, cross-border manufacturing, and consumer branded products. In February 2025 he sold his company, Eddyline Kayaks, to Jackson Kayak, of Tennessee. Scott started his career in investment banking and consulting. Scott was a managing director and founding team member of Harken Capital, a boutique investment bank that helps venture capital and private equity clients raise funds to pursue investments in small growing companies. Prior to Harken, Scott was a strategy consultant for Monitor Group (now Deloitte Consulting) and OCC Strategy Consultants. Scott holds a BA in finance from the University of Utah and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Areas of expertise: supply chain, manufacturing, product development, search funds, entrepreneurship through acquisition, fund raising, sales strategy, channel management, branding

Schedule Appointment

Entrepreneurship

Tessa Arneson

Founder, Maven District

Tessa Arneson is the founder of Maven District, a neighborhood of 100+ businesses on 900 South and 200 East in downtown Salt Lake City that encompasses 100% locally owned spaces, 90% of which are women-owned. She’s an entrepreneur, girl mom, angel investor, and real-estate developer who builds community-driven spaces for founders. Tessa is a daughter of a Utah pioneer, but a world traveled. She is always trying to learn, love big, and make the world a more equitable place for women.

Areas of expertise: wellness, real estate, small business, story telling, branding, design

Schedule Appointment

Rob Dunkel

Founder & Former CEO, 3PM Shield

Rob is a seasoned entrepreneur, founder/former CEO of 3PM Shield, a SaaS company that was acquired by eBay in 2023. His journey from bootstrapping startups to successful exits gives him a wealth of experience to share. He is passionate about building high-performing teams that foster a culture of trust, empowering them to solve complex problems and deliver exceptional value. He is driven by learning and helping others achieve success. Rob has financial and international business experience.

Areas of expertise: entrepreneurship

Schedule Appointment

Legal & Business Formation

Plymouth D. Nelson

Partner, Michael Best

Plymouth is known for his attention to detail and unflagging commitment to his clients’ business goals. He approaches each project with the mindset of a business partner, while also working closely with engineers and staff to understand the nuts and bolts of each client’s technology. These qualities make him particularly successful in drafting and prosecuting patent applications directed to a wide array of mechanical and electromechanical technologies such as compressors, pumps, electric motors, agricultural equipment, drones and other unmanned technologies, spacecraft propulsion, automotive fuel, braking, and seating systems, shelving and storage units, water purification systems, cookware, and golf clubs. Plymouth also prepares invalidity, non-infringement, and clearance opinions, as well as patentability analyses, and conducts IP due diligence for transactional matters. In addition, he counsels clients on the acquisition and enforcement of patent rights and the avoidance of competitor patents.

Areas of expertise: intellectual property law, entity formation, and other legal services

Schedule Appointment

Timothy Nichols

Shareholder, Workman Nydegger

A former engineer and federal law clerk, Tim Nichols has a breadth of experience assisting clients with complex patent, trademark, and copyright matters under federal and international laws. Tim regularly advises clients on how to obtain, enforce, and license various intellectual property assets and represents clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer products, industrial machining, automotive, medical, renewable energy, and mining. As part of his practice, Tim also guides clients through the intricate nuances of online marketplaces to better manage, protect, and extract revenue from their intellectual property. Consistently recognized as a top intellectual property lawyer by several publications, Tim also teaches as an adjunct professor at the S.J. Quinney College of Law and served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Dee V. Benson (2009-2010) at the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah.

Areas of expertise: intellectual property law

Schedule Appointment

Paul Burnett

Senior Audit Manager and CPA, Tanner LLC

Paul Burnett is an assurance senior manager and CPA with Tanner LLP who has over 12 years of public accounting experience serving a variety of industries, including nonprofit, SaaS and technology, manufacturing, trucking, healthcare, and others. He enjoys being a team member of Tanner, which allows him to work on mostly non-public companies with revenues ranging from $100,000 to $1 billion. He joined Tanner after graduating with his master of accountancy from Southern Utah University. He has served on the board (including roles of chair, vice-chair, and treasure) of the Utah Nonprofits Association and currently serves on the Finance and Audit Committee of World Trade Center Utah. Paul loves spending time with his family (wife and three kids), playing board games, building things for his family (mainly wood projects), watching movies, playing sports, and more.

Areas of expertise: accounting, auditing, nonprofits, internal controls (and Tanner LLC has many additional areas of expertise that they can connect you with)

Schedule Appointment

Cory Cozzens

Partner & Cofounder, Philo Ventures

Cory Cozzens is cofounder and managing partner of Philo Ventures, a multi-strategy investment firm building and investing in real estate, hospitality, and tech. Cory spent his career building innovative tech businesses, with a particular focus on mobility. Cory holds an MBA from Wharton, a JD from George Mason University, and a BA in economics from Brigham Young University. When not at the Philo offices, Cory can usually be found adventuring with his wife and five kids in their beloved Utah mountains.

Areas of expertise: venture capital

Schedule Appointment

Marketing & Sales

Josh Webber

Co-founder, CEO, Big Red Jelly

As the co-founder and CEO of the marketing agency Big Red Jelly and a graduate of the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah, Josh lives by this quote: “Be the best at everything that requires no talent.” Showing up, being proactive, and exceeding expectations is how he follows this principle. He believes that effort is a universal currency that should be lived, taught, and valued. His effort in starting and growing Big Red Jelly comes from my deep passion for creating and building. His company is his hobby and he finds joy in cultivating its culture, growth, and success. He is a continual learner, whether it be listening to new podcasts, learning to cook, or traveling to new places, I appreciate new experiences.

Areas of expertise: brand strategy, brand development, business strategy, marketing, digital marketing

Schedule Appointment

Zach Webber

Co-founder, COO, Big Red Jelly

Zach graduated with a degree in public relations and played rugby throughout his time there. His passion for self sustainability is contagious, and he consistently sets an amazing example for the team on how to enjoy and excel in the work we do. Zach is currently the COO of Big Red Jelly, a digital marketing and branding agency in Provo, Utah.

Areas of expertise: WordPress, ecommerce, Shopify, account management, project management, CSS UX/UI, website strategy, online tools & integrations

Schedule Appointment

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