UofU's MBC '20-'21 founders named

The Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business has named the third class of founders in its Master of Business Creation (MBC) program. The class will begin the program in the fall semester for the 2021-22 academic year with the support of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute.

The group consists of 23 founders who have launched 18 companies with products and services ranging from choke-prevention devices and delivery logistics to party planning and luxury pajamas. All have already made progress in starting their companies and are looking to grow sales and attract investors, among other goals through the program.

A complete list of this year’s founders can be found at the program’s website, eccles.utah.edu/mbc.

“We have a great group of founders this year and one of the most diverse since we launched the program,” said Taft Price, co-director of the MBC program and a professor in the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy. “We look forward to working with each founder to see how far they can take their companies in the next nine months. We expect big things and more than a few surprises.”

New this year are five founders participating in the program remotely from around the world. Three founders are participating from Africa in partnership with Generation Africa, and two founders are participating from Providence, Rhode Island, in partnership with Brown University, where they are alumni.

“We are proud to announce the new partnerships with Generation Africa and Brown University,” said Paul Brown, co-director of the MBC program and a professor in the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy. “These founders will add a unique perspective that will benefit everyone in the program.”

MBC founders join a unique program designed to help them launch and scale a new company. They complete the program in just nine months and all are receiving full scholarships that cover the costs for the program.

The MBC program is one of the latest additions to the Eccles School entrepreneurship program that is ranked among the top 10 in the country by U.S. News & World Report and the Princeton Review.