Scott Holley, a University of Utah alumnus, entrepreneur, and business executive, has joined the Lassonde Entrepreneurship Institute as its new executive director.
Holley has vast experience in the world of entrepreneurship, particularly in cross-border manufacturing, consumer-branded products, and entrepreneurship through acquisition.
Now, taking the helm on Lassonde’s 25th anniversary year, Holley has big plans.
Sustaining the legacy
While looking forward is important, Holley said, first, he looked back.
“Having been through this program as a student, my first question was ‘How do we sustain the legacy of what’s already been built?”
Adhering to Lassonde’s mission statement and values is at the core of Holley’s leadership goals.
“Since its inception, Lassonde has aligned vision with action,” he said. “We’ve held fast to that vision, through so much external tumult, like changes in the higher education system, changes even in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The types of businesses that we’re seeing today, and how they’re launched, are dramatically different from 25 years ago, but the core vision is the same.”
At the center of this legacy, Holley said, is student experience. At Lassonde, student leaders can brainstorm, develop, plan, and lead various events, from workshops to full-scale programs.
“A really unique thing that Lassonde does is trust student leaders,” he said. “There is magic in empowering students and putting them at the center of our focus.”
This mindset is at the forefront of one of the biggest changes coming to Lassonde: programming.
Programming: A change in focus
Traditionally, Lassonde has offered programming through a Live, Create, Launch lens, with residential opportunities, grants, training, funding events, and competitions. While this model will stay intact, Holley said specific offerings will change.
“We have the world’s biggest buffet when it comes to opportunities,” Holley said. “Our challenge is to not overfill the plate.”
To achieve this, Holley said the tone needs to shift.
“Our programming has really centered around ‘Where do I start in building my business?’” he said. “This can definitely be the burning question, but we wanted to open it up to others, like ‘What the heck is an entrepreneur? Is entrepreneurship for me?’”
This shift won’t impact the core of Lassonde’s offerings.
“Sometimes the volume and activity of the programming can be overwhelming, but we don’t want the pre-baked paths that you can find at other institutions,” he said.
Holley knows firsthand the importance of flexibility and customization at Lassonde – he served as the first student director of the Lassonde New Venture Development Center during his undergraduate career.
“I am absolutely convinced that had it not been for my experiences as a student leader, I would not have been able to launch my career successfully like I have today,” Holley said.
Programming: The Specifics
Lassonde Startup Academy, a summer program for high school students, hopes to lay the foundation for future entrepreneurs.
“We’re in the final steps of organization, and the plan is resonating with all stakeholders,” Holley said.
Participants will stay at the Lassonde Studios and be emersed in the world of entrepreneurship, from classes to networking on campus.
“There is not a target student, anywhere in the world, for which this program wouldn’t have an appeal, regardless of where they plan on pursing undergraduate or other degrees,” Holley said.
For those enrolled at the University of Utah, new programming, like weekly Start Sessions, will launch this year. Moderated by different Lassonde team members in their area of expertise, the sessions offer students one-on-one interaction.
“We want to inspire students toward taking concrete, actionable steps in their journey,” Holley said. “These weekly Start Sessions are a big part of that.”
Summits are also upcoming on Lassonde’s programming docket: bi-annual, day-long deep dives into topics. Summits include speeches, interview-style discussions, breakout sessions, and mix-and-mingle events.
“These opportunities are geared toward the student experience, but we open interaction to the community and alumni,” Holley said. “This open-ended, exploratory type concept brings in the magic of the interaction of students, alumni, the invested community, and experts.”
The first summit discussed entrepreneurship through acquisition.
“Entrepreneurship through acquisition is a burgeoning area of entrepreneurship, not just as an entrepreneurial path, but a career path,” Holley said. “It broadly refers to search fund, long-term buy and hold, self-funding searches, and family business traditions.”
Holley is an expert in the field – he led the search-fund-backed buyout of Eddyline Kayaks, serving as the new president for nearly a decade.
“Our region is home to one of the original and most well-respected search fund investment groups, and to a number of successful search entrepreneurs,” he said. “I strongly believe the University of Utah, through the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, has the capability of becoming, within a very short order, a national and internationally recognized thought leader around entrepreneurship through acquisition.”
Going Global
Within the classroom, Lassonde is also diversifying and expanding.
“One big point of growth is the Master of Business Creation (MBC) program,” Holley said.
After offering in-person and online versions based in Salt Lake City, MBC Global launched, graduating its first classes out of Africa and Canada. In the coming year, students will be able to grow their startups in select locations throughout Europe.
The global reach continues with Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC) conference, which the University of Utah is a finalist to host in 2027.
“We’re continuing to look for opportunities for integration with faculty, researchers, departments, centers, and institutions on and off campus,” Holley said. “It is a long list, but we’ve found that we’ve had open doors and a lot of great ideas about how we can work together to advance student entrepreneurship.”
