Not all students working at the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute become serial entrepreneurs. Some develop valuable skills that they apply to many other industries and professions. Katherine Aiello is one of these students. Aiello participated in the Pierre and Claudette Lassonde New Venture Development Center in 2016-17, while pursuing a Ph.D. in bioengineering at the University of […]
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Make Your Mark with Adobe
You no longer need to outsource to get the perfect graphic, logo, video or poster for your business. University of Utah alumni Vincent Fu and Calvin Chhour have used their digital art skills for a variety of projects and businesses ranging from university-related video-editing to brand development for startup companies, and you can do the […]
Sole Case Displays: A Better Way to Store Your Sneakers
At the young age of just 10 years old, Sole Case Display’s founder Charles Rind already had a passion for footwear and fashion. “In 2003, I first laid my eyes on the patent leather Air Jordan 1 Retro sneaker in the Chicago Bulls colorway,” he said. “Ever since that moment I was hooked.” A year […]
Clean Transportation with CleanFare
At the age of 16, Sam Hirsch became a social entrepreneur when he founded CleanFare — a mobile app that gives points to people using clean transportation by walking, biking and taking the train or bus. The app allows users to log in and get points and achievement awards as it tracks their mileage of […]
Curie Wear: STEM Clothing for Girls
After noticing a huge gap in clothing for young girls, Hillary Whitaker, a University of Utah accounting student, started Curie Wear in 2016, a company that designs custom fabrics focused on STEM. They keep their clothing designs feminine for young girls. As Whitaker said, “It is important to emphasize femininity and let girls know it […]
KB Medical Wins $5,000 in Opportunity Quest Competition
KB Medical, a student startup developing a wound drain, was named the first-place winner and recipient of the $5,000 grand prize at the 2017-2018 University of Utah Opportunity Quest (OQ) business-model competition today. Ten collegiate teams advanced to the final judging and awards event. The competition is managed by students at the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the […]
3-D Printing at Lassonde Studios Made Easy
For beginner 3-D printers, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Recent advances in 3-D print technology have made the impossible, possible: 3-D printing organs, food, even new 3-D printers. At the Lassonde Institute, the Make Space’s free prototyping area focuses on tearing down barriers between non-tech students and 3-D printing. Here are some tips to get […]
Make Space: Build Something or Become a ‘Green Apron’
Have you ever built a website? A scale model of the Eiffel Tower? A personal fidget spinner? Would you like to teach others some of those skills? If so, the Lassonde Studio’s Make Space has just the student mentoring program for you. Many students would love the chance to tutor, but some lack the specific […]
From Poverty to E-commerce Mogul in Tanzania
When Bonaventure Mhonda was a child in rural Tanzania, it would have been impossible for him to think he would do anything like graduate from the University of Utah with a master’s in finance and become an e-commerce entrepreneur. Most people in his local area are poor, families struggle to feed themselves, and children walk […]
LakeSurfer: An Affordable, Motorized, Aquatic Skateboard
Videos have been popping up online showing people riding motorized surfboards. I first saw one when I was just starting my engineering degree and thought it was an awesome product. I was sold, until I saw the price tag. Many companies offer these boards at prices ranging from $7,000 to $14,000. I saw huge potential […]