Browse photos from the Lassonde Startup Academy 2026. The Lassonde Startup Academy is a pre-college program for entrepreneurs, makers, builders, and doers provided by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute Learn more at lassonde.utah.edu/academy
The University of Utah is ranked No. 1 in the nation for the odds that its graduates will go on to found a “unicorn” — a privately held startup valued at $1 billion or more — according to a new analysis from a Stanford University researcher. In a study published this month, Stanford Graduate School […]
Mya Oetinger, a marketing student at the University of Utah, has taken full advantage of all the opportunities at Lassonde Studios. In fact, her acceptance to be a resident at Lassonde Studios is the reason Oetinger attended the University of Utah. Lassonde has shaped her experience on campus because she was able to live in […]
After years of searching the back of shoe stores for anything above a size 10, Danielle King knew something had to change. As a 5’11” woman wearing a size 11.5, King often found it discouraging to shop for stylish, high-quality shoes. Now part of the Master of Business Creation (MBC) program at the University of […]
Dante Suzuki spent the summer before his senior year of high school in a Georgetown University Medical Center lab, watching zebrafish twitch under a seizure-inducing drug and trying to teach a computer to spot the stages of epilepsy. That summer set the trajectory for the University of Utah computer science student, who is now the […]
As the son of an entrepreneur, Benson Tracy understands the frustrations with ineffective marketing. He is the founder of Thalio, an AI-powered marketing technology service that aims to streamline the content creation process. A senior entrepreneurship student at the University of Utah, Tracy didn’t originally plan to start a company. He entered college on a […]
For most Utah drivers, vehicle emissions testing is what one customer calls his “annual agony” — a required government errand that means burning an hour in a waiting room, coordinating rides, or taking time off work just to keep a car legally registered. Daniel Diehl knows the feeling firsthand as the founder of Mobile Emissions […]
Adam Garrison was mixing supplements at home for his girlfriend when he noticed a problem. Nothing on the shelf was built for the way a woman’s body actually works — cycling through four distinct hormonal phases each month, each with its own nutritional demands. So he started building something that was. Garrison, a professional MBA […]
Located in the lobby of Lassonde Studios, Miller Café is one of the most popular dining spots on the University of Utah campus. The Miller Grill serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, featuring a variety of student favorites throughout the day. Guests can choose from made-to-order meals, sandwiches, smoothies, snacks, beverages, grab-and-go items, and more. The […]
We hosted our annual Lassonde Demo Day on April 29, 2026, at Lassonde Studios. At this event, we invite everyone to join us to meet student startup teams, honor our student leaders, and celebrate the end of the year. Watch this video for highlights from this year’s event. Learn more about Lassonde Demo Day at […]
