Student Innovation at the U | 2026 Report | University of Utah

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1. Personal Care

Reimagining Campus Wellness Through Design

How can students help create "College Town Magic" at the University of Utah? For Rosie Coleman and Rachel Clark, the answer lies in reimagining student wellness through design. ...

All-Natural Fragrances

What began as a high school hobby is shaping up to be one of the freshest fragrance startups to emerge from the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. ...

Skincare With a Salty Twist

In a world flooded with synthetic and harmful products, Salt City Soapworks is building a skincare company rooted in science, sustainability, and a whole lot of Utah salt and beeswax. ...

2. Fashion & Design

Redefining Swimwear, One Stitch at a Time

For Mila Pimentel, founder of SWYM and an art student at the University of Utah, the ocean has always been home. ...

Luxury Goods Made From Alpaca Wool

Kusi is a luxury brand with a heartfelt mission that extends far beyond profit margins. The company, with a name meaning “happiness” in Quechua, specializes in handcrafted products made from alpaca wool ...

Stickers, Apparel & Goods

If you need a way to commemorate your most recent outdoor adventure, Roaming Heart is doing just that. Founded in 2018 by Audrey Tran, the Utah-based company sells vibrant stickers, apparel, and goods ...

3. Outdoor Gear

Fun, Affordable Pickleball Gear

Tyler Cichelli, founder of Voodoo Pickleball and a business student at the University of Utah, is making the game more fun and affordable for all players. ...

Redefining Backcountry Ski Bindings

The future of backcountry snowboarding may hinge on a breakthrough binding system developed by University of Utah mechanical engineering seniors and their startup, Queen SNOWWORKS. ...

Self-Expression Through Ski Gear

Canyon Sargent, a senior multi-disciplinary design student at the University of Utah, is creating a new niche in the ski equipment industry. ...

4. Health

Raising a Generation of Curious Eaters

“We believe that every child is born with the ability to love food,” said Dr. Bonnie Feola. A pediatrician and certified chef, she recognized a gap in how we talk about feeding children. ...

Redefining the Gym Experience

Denisse Martinez, a biology student at the University of Utah, has a vision for making the average gym experience more social and inclusive, and she is pursuing it with her startup, Alchemist. ...

A Drink Supplement for Athletes

Meet Christian Holmes and Hayden Earl, the founders of 3rd Life Health, a company developing a convenient drink supplement for athletes. ...

Safe & Effective Hormone Support

As the founder of Theramone Health™, Dr. Lawry Han, known as Dr. H, is leveraging his decades of scientific research to pioneer a new era in the important area of personal hormone balance. ...

5. Artificial Intelligence

AI Tool for Injury Prevention

Spencer Marx, a math student at the University of Utah, and partner Nathaniel Fargo, an electrical engineering and physics student, are the founders of Aloe ...

AI Strategies for Hydropower

Maryam Baghkarvasef’s research lies at the intersection of artificial intelligence, energy systems, and climate resilience. ...

6. Food

A Journey From Passion to Purpose

Emily Nichols, an entrepreneur and founder who enrolled in the Master of Business Creation program at the University of Utah, is on a mission to transform how Americans experience chocolate. ...

Zero-Sugar, Low-Calorie Energy Drink

When most people think of energy drinks, they picture a jittery caffeine overload in a neon can. But one University of Utah student is flipping the script with a product designed for the everyday person ...

7. Community

Community Care Through Art Education

Matthew Brasher is an art educator whose work sits at the intersection of creativity, community, and care. ...

A Journey From Fan to Founder

When it comes to Skyler Sorenson, college football has always been so much more than just a sport. ...

Building With Purpose

For Steward Land Company, development is more than building houses, it’s about shaping the lives within them. ...

Fueling Campus With Local Options

What started with a simple game of pool has now become a company focused on connecting local businesses with the University of Utah community. ...

8. Technology

Streamlining Renter Communications

University of Utah computer science students Rishen Cao, Quinn Pritchett, Mel Umble, and Eric Zhuo are streamlining renter communications with their app, Roof. ...

Changing Future Chip Fabrication

While finishing a degree in chemical engineering with a minor in math at the University of Utah, John Peterson pursued a fascination with photolithography and launched the Quasi Stepper ...

9. Entertainment

'Between the Lines of Villainy': A New Novel

When Lórien Briscoe started writing stories at just four years old, she never imagined that her childhood hobby would turn into a business. ...

The Poetics of Translation

Chengru He is developing a poetry project that reframes translation not as a secondary or derivative act, but as a central creative and feminist practice. ...

Udon Uncaged

Inside a giant rolling ball, a hamster is making a break for freedom. That’s the premise behind Udon Uncaged, a larger-than-life alternative control game ...

Kinetic Desktop Structures

Do you ever spend your day sitting at a desk and fidgeting with every possible thing? Daniel Hallman, a mathematics Ph.D. student at the University of Utah, has a solution. ...