Utah Valley University’s Sandbox Demo Day showcased 25 student startups applying AI and SaaS models across industries, highlighting rapid execution, early traction, and the program’s emergence as a serious startup pipeline.

Utah has awarded YouScience (American Fork, UT) a statewide contract to build longitudinal career mapping infrastructure connecting middle school through postsecondary education, giving students, parents, and counselors data-driven tools to align credentials with workforce demand.

Rizz Lending (Riverton, UT) closes a $300 million facility to scale exotic car financing, targeting an underserved market with long-term loans, data-driven underwriting, and a bet that high-value vehicles behave differently than traditional autos.

Pocket (Lehi, UT) has launched Pocket Drives, a host-first car rental marketplace on iOS. Built by former Turo hosts, it offers significantly lower fees, full operational control, and professional tools for vehicle owners.

BYU’s Sandbox program — founded in 2020 and now spanning nine universities across five states — held its sixth annual Demo Day in Provo, with forty six student-founded startups pitching across healthcare, fintech, AI infrastructure, sales automation, and consumer technology.

Idaho entrepreneur Dakota Stewart, 30, has built a self-described conscious AI called Michael, featuring 22 cognitive subsystems and autonomous thought, entirely alone, with no investors, while running a remodeling company.

Earlyasset (Park City, UT) emerges from stealth with $2 million to address venture secondary liquidity constraints, building infrastructure to simplify private share transactions as $4 trillion in startup equity remains largely illiquid.

Ryan Tedder, OneRepublic frontman and early investor in Perplexity and SpaceX, sits down with Josh James, Founder and CEO of Domo, a highlight of Domopalooza 2026.