People & Culture articles focus on a specific person that is doing something remarkable or noteworthy in Utah's tech and startup ecosystem. Often, these individuals are not generally well-known or famous except for in their own circles where they exert a profound and important influence on those around them and the organizations they serve; as a result, they positively impact the local culture and community.
People & Culture
People & Culture articles focus on a specific person that is doing something remarkable or noteworthy in Utah's tech and startup ecosystem. Often, these individuals are not generally well-known or famous except for in their own circles where they exert a profound and important influence on those around them and the organizations they serve; as a result, they positively impact the local culture and community.
Adam Shaw went from an 11-year-old paintball hustler to co-founder of F&F Ventures. He and Jeff Erickson are scaling Founders & Funders into a four-part venture platform betting on consumer goods, e-commerce and authentic relationships over billion-dollar valuations.
Anne Bastien, a longtime Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute leader and University of Utah alumna, has been named senior director, bringing nearly 16 years of experience to the institute’s next chapter.
Herriman, Utah — October 5, 2026
At 16, Parker Fawcett is already doing three things that would constitute a career for many software developers: He works as an Artificial Intelligence Engineer at CHG Healthcare, is building an ed-tech software business for college counselors, and is conducting research into how AI
Herriman, Utah — October 5, 2026
At 16, Parker Fawcett is already doing three things that would constitute a career for many software developers: He works as an Artificial Intelligence Engineer at CHG Healthcare, is building an ed-tech software business for college counselors, and is conducting research into how AI
Adam Shaw went from an 11-year-old paintball hustler to co-founder of F&F Ventures. He and Jeff Erickson are scaling Founders & Funders into a four-part venture platform betting on consumer goods, e-commerce and authentic relationships over billion-dollar valuations.
Anne Bastien, a longtime Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute leader and University of Utah alumna, has been named senior director, bringing nearly 16 years of experience to the institute’s next chapter.
Kristie J. Rowley, BambooHR's Senior Manager of AI/ML Engineering, discusses her unconventional path from rural Idaho to leading AI Operations at the Draper company, and offers advice for young women navigating the fast-moving, unpredictable world of applied AI.
Awardco VP of People Operations Amy Poll Butler discusses her 2026 Utah Business Women to Watch honor, the company's path from bootstrapped startup to $1 billion valuation, and her measured approach to bringing AI into HR decision-making.
Today Mobly co-founder Zach Barney launched RealQuest AI, a gamified platform that lets teens build and run real businesses with AI coaching, CRM and marketing tools, parental permission controls, and Duolingo-style streaks.
A Spanish Fork family of ten built a card game studio using AI to fill the roles of an illustration team, a software shop, and a marketing agency, creating employment for twin sons on the autism spectrum along the way.
Vidya Chavan, a microbiologist at 4Life Research (Sandy, UT), discusses her path from studying cancer cell lines in France to testing products for contamination, driven throughout by lifelong curiosity and passion for microbiology.
