The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, a top-10 ranked program at the University of Utah, and the David Eccles School of Business awarded over $1.5 million in scholarships and tuition waivers to over 140 student entrepreneurs for the 2023-24 academic year. Most of the scholarships come with the opportunity to gain leadership skills and experience while managing many activities for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Find a list of scholarship and tuition waiver recipients below. They include undergraduate to graduate students and come from many different majors across campus.
“We are proudly powered by students who receive scholarships to be leaders in our community,” said Troy D’Ambrosio, executive director of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and an assistant dean at the Eccles School. “These students are getting a great experience managing our many programs and opportunities while also receiving support for their educations.”
All incoming and current students at the University of Utah are welcome to apply for scholarships from the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. The priority application deadline to apply for scholarships for the 2024-25 academic year is Jan. 9, 2024. Students who miss the priority deadline can apply at any time, and applications will be considered when opportunities are available.
The majority of the students receiving scholarships serve as student leaders. They manage a broad variety of programs at the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, ranging from workshops and mentor sessions to a makerspace and high school outreach program.
“Our students do everything from showing students how to use our 3-D printers to awarding grants to fellow student entrepreneurs,” said Anne Bastien, program director at the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. “They are receiving meaningful experiences that will help them prepare for the future.
Barry Carta is one of the students who received a scholarship from the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute this year. He is an entrepreneurship student from Chicago. He currently serves as the director of the Company Launch program at Lassonde.
“Being a student leader at Lassonde has given me access to the other side of the programs I participated in as a freshman and sophomore,” Carta said. “I’m gaining invaluable experience from managing the budget, planning events, organizing communications, and networking with faculty. These programs are built just as much for the student leader as they are for the student.”
Lydia Smith is a recipient of the Launch Your Imagination – Kylie B. Park Memorial Scholarship. She is from Salt Lake City and is studying modern dance. Smith is the director of the Workshops program, where she hosts workshops and other activities at Lassonde Studios.
“Something I like about being a student leader is the connections you can make with others outside of your major,” Smith said. “I love hearing others’ perspectives on things and learning about the various life goals my generation has.”
Logan Bogesvang is the student director of the High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge. He is studying quantitative analysis of markets & organizations and information systems and is from Woodinville, Washington.
“Lassonde is special because of its community and student-led initiatives and programs,” Bogesvang said. “I like being involved with this interdisciplinary and diligent ecosystem that helps inspire my best work.”
Other recipients of named scholarships include Gerald Pharin, recipient of the Cameron Russell Williams Legacy Scholarship; and Sadie Bowen, recipient of the Erin Valenti Women in Entrepreneurship Scholarship.
Many of the scholarships for graduate students were awarded to founders in the Master of Business Creation (MBC) program, which helps founders grow their startups with personalized mentorship, applied curriculum, access to funding and more.
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is an interdisciplinary division of the David Eccles School of Business. The institute provides many programs and opportunities for all students on campus to launch a company, build a product or join a team. Most programs are provided at Lassonde Studios.
Learn more about scholarship opportunities at lassonde.utah.edu/leadership. Learn more about the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at lassonde.utah.edu.
Lassonde 2023-24 Scholarship & Waiver Recipients
Here are the Lassonde student leaders and scholarship and tuition waiver recipients for 2023-24. They are listed by program or program group and then alphabetically by last name:
Company Launch
- Barry Carta
- Lauren Lengel
- Garrett Petersen
Competitions
- Logan Bogesvang
- Sadie Bowen
- Nicole Duckering
- Saina Malili
- Eli Paredes
- Mila Pimentel
- Nathan Privari
- Grace Wunder
Get Seeded
- Ayodele Alaga
- Hunter Conrad
- Venkatachalam Kapuganti
- Cameron Mcomber
- Gerald Pharin
Hours with Experts
- Lucy Christensen
- Kelsey Hart
- Zack West
Lassonde Founders
- Kiana Adolpho
- Sean Andrews
- Diane Bahati
- Elliott Bloem
- Mia Bookstaber
- Cole Cable
- Abby Cheney
- Autumn Cibik
- Haley Freeman
- Khongor Gantumur
- Thomas Glasmann
- Jenna Hirtle
- Anderson Jones
- David Kale
- Noelle Kieffer
- Katrina Knackstedt
- Natasha Mayr
- Alon Meir
- Aren Naegeli
- Carter Neal
- James Nickles
- Lauren North
- Mya Oetinger
- Eliasib Paredes-Bautista
- Mila Pimentel
- Nekane Powell
- Jack Regan
- Braeden Riley
- Matthew Schwarz
- Noah Singer
- Camiryn Stauffer
- Andrew Sweeney
- Jack Urness
- Elayna Williams
Lassonde New Venture Development
- Yasmin Abuomar
- Yash Agrawal
- Alan Brinkerhoff
- Shreya Chawla
- Samantha Davies
- Ololade Folashade
- Jennifer Godinez
- Ghasmin Guillen
- Hardik Jain
- Eric Johnson
- Walker Krebs
- Roarke Lacey
- Colin Loughlin
- Abigail McCoy
- Gabriel Ortiz
- Scott Stoermer
- Brandon Wilde
Make
- Matthew Benich
- Sadie Bowen
- Aye Chan
- Derek Che
- Carter Dean
- Seb DeVillers
- Sydney Greenland
- Cole Hadlock
- Johnny Hernandez
- Mason Hirschi
- Tren Hirshi
- Ashley Howell
- Diona Irwin
- Tess Jorgensen
- Saina Malili
- Derek Martin
- Justin Newkirk
- Jace Peterson
- Hailey Sherman
- Alex Shuster Crowe
- Juliet Smock
Master of Business Creation
- Zully Davila Amenero
- Chase Austin
- Austin Birch
- Osei Boatang
- Brandon Brooks
- Connor Chase
- Michael “Tiger” Chase
- Connor Chase
- Kevin Chavira
- Scott Church
- Emi Dalton
- Daniel Diehl
- Matthew Eau Claire
- Stephanie Eau Claire
- Dane Eyerly
- Arjun Gill
- Domus Go
- Greg “Zeke” Greer
- Susma Gurung
- Landon Hull
- Brooke Hundley
- Faith Ivory
- Isabella “Bella” Johnson
- Susan Kingsley
- Susan Knott
- Caitlin LaComb
- Dan Lathen
- Matthew Liu
- Jeffrey Lunt
- Christine Mather
- Cory McArthur
- Samuel Mehr
- Cory Morin
- Boston Richins
- Kassidy Ricks
- Sabrina Sherwood
- Erik Smith
- Isaac Tai
- Kian Torimi
- Kenechi Uzor
- Rena Vanzo
- Rebecca Waldron
- Bo Wilkinson
- Adam Wilson
- Terry Wilson
- Alexanna Wonder
- Becki Wright
- Carson Young
Outreach
- Derek Che
- Evan Dennis
- Chloe Flach
- Ololade Folashade
- James Linton
- Major Nelson
- Kaden Pax
Skills
- Susmita Bastakoti
- David Kale
- Lydia Smith
- Kellie Spear
- Sadie Whitney-Havlicak
About the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is a nationally ranked hub for student entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Utah and an interdisciplinary division of the David Eccles School of Business. The first programs were offered in 2001, through the vision and support of Pierre Lassonde, an alumnus of the Eccles School and successful mining entrepreneur. The institute now provides opportunities for thousands of students to learn about entrepreneurship and innovation. Programs include workshops, networking events, business-plan competitions, startup support, innovation programs, graduate seminars, scholarships, community outreach and more. All programs are open to students from any academic major or background. The Lassonde Institute also manages Lassonde Studios, a five-story innovation space and housing facility for all students. Learn more at lassonde.utah.edu.
