21 Founders Graduate from University of Utah's MBC Program

Salt Lake City, Utah - June 9, 2025

Twenty-one entrepreneurs have graduated from the Master of Business Creation (MBC) program at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business following the spring 2025 semester. This latest cohort comes from a program uniquely designed for entrepreneurs and recognized nationally for its innovation and impact.

Eighteen of the graduates completed the in-person MBC option, while three completed the program online. Together, they lead 19 startups across a diverse range of industries. Some ventures had multiple founders enrolled in the program.

You can find a complete list of the graduates and their startups below.

Offered by the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy in partnership with the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, the MBC program is part of the Eccles School—ranked among the nation’s top 10 for entrepreneurship by U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review.

Paul Brown, director of the MBC U.S. program and a faculty member in the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy, said the graduating founders are "growing remarkable companies in many different fields and industries, and we look forward to seeing what they will accomplish with the lessons and connections they gained from the program." He added, "We invite any startup founder to explore how the MBC program can help them grow and scale their business."

The MBC program blends business education with the resources of a startup accelerator. Founders benefit from mentorship, hands-on learning, applied curriculum workshops, practicum labs, networking opportunities, and intensive, real-time application of classroom knowledge to their own businesses.

Launched in 2019, the MBC has become a signature offering at the Eccles School, which places entrepreneurship at the heart of its undergraduate and graduate programs. The program has earned national recognition, including honors for “Excellence in Entrepreneurship Teaching and Pedagogical Innovation” from the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers and first place in the professional-services category at the Utah Innovation Awards.

JoLynn Spruance, co-founder of UT Match, which offers professional matchmaking services tailored for single professionals (ages 26–35) who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said, "The MBC program has been invaluable in teaching us how to run and scale our business. It’s helped us formalize our business model, and now we’re ready to bring it to life."

Jared Snow, founder of Inca Trek, a tour operator in Cusco, Peru, offering treks to Machu Picchu, the Inca Trail, the Salkantay Trek, and Rainbow Mountain, said, "The MBC has revolutionized my approach to business. I’m much more organized, methodical, and strategic about business decisions. It gives you real tools to make your business better and pushes you to take action."

MBC In-Person Graduates for Spring 2025

• Addon Games (Jordan Charlesworth) – Creates math games so fun and engaging that kids don’t realize they’re learning. Their games are for parents and teachers in the K-6 who want to take math teaching from a tedious task into an engaging learning experience.
• Blokspyder (Sebastiaan Van Thiel) –Developing trading strategies based on observable trading patterns of traders with winning records.
• Deep Dark Drinking Chocolate (Emily Nichols) – Thick, velvety smooth, European-style drinking chocolate made with a high concentration of ethically sourced dark chocolate, ground to a perfect melting consistency.
• Grind Athletics (Tyler Hollist) – A sports technology company dedicated to transforming athlete recruitment through a digital platform that connects athletes with coaches by showcasing their skills, stats and schedules.
• Inca Trek (Jared Snow) – A trek and tour operator in Cusco, Peru, featuring Machu Picchu, the Inca Trail, the Salkantay Trek and Rainbow Mountain.
• Kusi (Diana Simens) – A luxury brand specializing in high-quality alpaca wool products, including college and Utah-logo neckties that blend tradition, sustainability and school pride.
• MedicalMatch (Ali Phillips) – A virtual healthcare marketplace that allows healthcare professionals to work as independent contractors, qualify, negotiate pay, match and fill one-time shifts with healthcare organizations with just a few clicks.
• Monere (Mou Nandi) – A digital health and wellness company dedicated to elevating women’s health through NiADA, a non-invasive, easy-to-use, and integrated anemia screening and monitoring solution.
• Of The Gods (Ryan Sallee) – Founded by Ph.D. scientists of biochemistry and immunology, Of The Gods helps active, health-conscious professionals achieve superhuman results with their premium mushroom supplements.
• Pivvt (John Dodson) – Helps hotels turn guest communication into insights that drive satisfaction, loyalty and rave reviews.
• RedHead Trailer & Boat (Brandon King) – Makes family adventures outdoors and on the water doable.
• Shop Taby (Taby Davila-Amenero) – Shop Taby is a size-inclusive, women-led, Latino and Dreamer-owned fashion brand that celebrates diversity and empowers women of all sizes with fun, vibrant and colorful designs.
• Startup Stack (Jonathan Engle) – Empowers founders with deeply discounted access to the software, services and perks that help them grow faster and operate smarter.
• Tetrimuse (James King) – Helps musicians with their branding so they can build a loyal following of "true fans" around their art.
• Tonicc (Shaelee Satterthwaite) – A wellness brand focused on making daily wellbeing effortless and attainable through innovative supplements with functional benefits.
• UT Match (Nicole Miller and JoLynn Spruance) – Offers professional matchmaking services tailored for Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints single professionals ages 26-35. The company created a novel, dating gift registry and provides exclusive dating planning services for all single and married couples.
• Utah House Hacks (Joel Jones) – Makes homeownership affordable by helping homebuyers find, buy and manage a home they can live in that generates rental income.

MBC Online Graduates for Spring 2025

Here are the MBC Online startups and the founders that graduated for this period (in alphabetical order by company):

• Cosmic Education Management (Leith Stratchen) – An enrollment application, explicitly designed for Montessori schools. The business automates the process from application to enrollment, billing and waitlist management.
• McClain Youth Foundation (Munir McClain and Shanrika McClain) – A youth athletic foundation.

Learn more about the Master of Business Creation program and apply at eccles.utah.edu/mbc.