You might be wondering why you should get involved with the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and our programs at Lassonde Studios. You’re probably asking yourself why you should join our community, study here, live with us, launch with us, participate in one of our programs, maybe sponsor one of our programs, volunteer to help our students, or maybe a mix of these. To answer your questions, we assembled the following list of reasons we are the right place for you:
1. Top 10 Program for Entrepreneurship
The David Eccles School of Business is ranked among the top 10 best schools for entrepreneurship in the country. “U.S. News & World Report” ranked it No. 10 for undergrad entrepreneurship for 2021, Princeton Review ranked it No. 10 for undergrad entrepreneurship for 2021, and “Bloomberg Businessweek” ranked it No. 6 among MBA programs for entrepreneurship for 2020.
Sources:
- https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/business-entrepreneurship
- https://www.princetonreview.com/entrepreneur
- https://www.bloomberg.com/business-schools/
2. Internationally Acclaimed
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute has been recognized around the world for excellence in entrepreneurship education. It has been featured by “The New York Times,” “Fast Company,” “Bloomberg Businessweek,” and many more publications. These publications recognize the institute for its unique approach to entrepreneurial education and contributions to a thriving startup community in Salt Lake City.
Sources:
- https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/07/education/edlife/innovation-campus-entrepreneurship-engineering-arts.html?_r=0
- https://www.fastcodesign.com/3068500/a-45-million-experiment-to-turn-dorms-into-incubators?partner=rss
- http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-07-15/university-of-utah-designs-a-dorm-for-entrepreneurs-that-mimics-google-and-facebook-headquarters
- https://lassonde.utah.edu/news/in-the-news/
3. Experience Supporting Student Entrepreneurs
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute has experience working with hundreds of student startup teams and thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs every year. During the 2019-20 academic year, the institute worked with 446 startup teams and 7,400 students.
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4. Creators of Lassonde Studios
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute imagined and created one of the most unique buildings to support student entrepreneurs. Lassonde Studios opened in 2016 and has accelerated student entrepreneurship at the University of Utah beyond expectations. It features a 20,000 square foot innovation and startup space on the first floor and four floors of unique student housing above. Lassonde Studios has been recognized by many organizations and publications, including “Architectural Digest,” which named it one of the nine best new university buildings in the world in 2017.
Source:
- https://lassonde.utah.edu/studios
- http://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/the-9-best-new-university-buildings-around-the-world
5. Legacy of Innovative Entrepreneur Programs
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute has a history of creating unique programs that inspire student entrepreneurs and other universities around the world. In recent years, the institute has created unique grant programs, a short undergraduate program for all students on campus, and a one-of-a-kind Master of Business Creation degree that was featured by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) as one of the “Innovations that Inspire” in 2020.
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6. An Interdisciplinary Division of the David Eccles School of Business
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is part of the David Eccles School of Business, a leading business school with more than 6,000 students annually, nine undergraduate majors, four MBAs, eight other graduate programs, a Ph.D. in six areas, and executive education curricula. The institute serves students in all 18 colleges at the University of Utah.
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7. Research and Academic Depth in Entrepreneurship
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute collaborates closely with the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy at the David Eccles School of Business. This department is home to leading scholars in innovation and management and teaches students through a unique blend of classroom and hands-on learning.
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8. Tradition of Entrepreneurship
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute was created by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs at a school that holds entrepreneurship as one of its core values. The founder of the institute, Pierre Lassonde, is a famous mining entrepreneur, while the namesake of the David Eccles School of Business was one of the first entrepreneurs in Utah.
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9. We are Doers
“Doers Wanted” is more than a motto at the David Eccles School of Business. Every student is expected to get involved with business and learn by doing, while the faculty are expected to be just as involved and experience. The Eccles School is community of doers.
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10. We Define Entrepreneurship as a Verb
At the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, “entrepreneur” is a verb. It is something you do and a way of thinking. It is a way of life focused on solving problems, launching products and companies, adding value, and making the world a better place. All students are challenge to learn these skills and more by following their ideas and seeing where it takes them.
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11. Extensive Resources for Entrepreneurs
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute has many programs and opportunities for student entrepreneurs. From grants and workshops to prototyping equipment and office space, the institute provides everything a student entrepreneur could need to launch an idea and learn about entrepreneurship by doing. Few, if any, other programs provide the same breadth of resources.
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12. Student-Focused Programs
All programs at the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute are designed to support students and their ideas. Most programs are also managed by students who gain leadership skills by supporting the community. This focus on the student experience provides an uncommon opportunity for students to learn and grow their products and companies.
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13. Programs for All Students
All students at the University of Utah and beyond are welcome and encouraged to participate in programs at the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. The institute has everything from high school business-idea competitions and introductory workshops for undergraduates to a rigorous master’s program focused on a working business.
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14. Top-Tier 1 Research University
The University of Utah is recognized as a Top-Tier 1 research university in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions in Higher Education). The university develops groundbreaking research on a local, national, and international level. It is distinguished research community is cultivated through its 18colleges, 35 interdisciplinary programs, 100 academic departments, and 120 centers on campus.
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15. No. 1 Best University for Technology Commercialization
The University of Utah is regularly featured as one of the best universities for turning research into products and businesses. The Milken Institute ranked the University of Utah No. 1 for tech transfer after reviewing practices at 200 universities across the U.S. (April 2017).
Source:
- https://milkeninstitute.org/articles/milken-institute-ranks-best-us-universities-technology-transfer
16. No. 1 Best State for Entrepreneurs
Seek Capital named Utah as the best states for entrepreneurs in a list of the best and worst states in 2020 (November 2019). Amazon also named Utah the best state for entrepreneurs in its list of the top 10 most entrepreneurial states (May 2018).
Sources:
- https://www.seekcapital.com/blog/best-states-to-start-business/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewdepietro/2019/11/13/best-worst-states-entrepreneurs-2020/
- https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180430006611/en/
17. No. 1 Best State Economy
Utah consistently ranks as one of the best states for business. In one recent ranking, 24/7 Wall Street ranked Utah the No. 1 Best Economy in a list of the states with the best and worst economies (August 2020). In another, U.S. News & World Report ranked Utah the No. 2 best economy (May 2019)
Sources:
- https://247wallst.com/special-report/2020/08/25/the-states-with-the-best-and-worst-economies-4/2/
- https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings
18. Beautiful Location and Access to Outdoor Recreation
The University of Utah sits next to the Wasatch Mountains near many hiking and biking trails while also being a short walk to downtown Salt Lake City. A little further from campus, students have access to many ski resorts in the nearby canyons, world-class facilities at Park City, and much more. Utah is also home to five national parks and six national forests and one of the healthiest populations in the country.
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