Step into Design's Future!
Secure your spot at Design Evolution 2023 and be part of the design revolution. Complete your registration and embark on a transformative journey with us.
Thank you!
Opening new opportunity
14th
Business Building
Launching in
The Biggest Event of the Year
Boost, presented by Reference Group, is a one-of-a-kind conference designed to ignite your potential and inspire actionable change. Whether you’re a business owner, founder, or a professional seeking growth, this event offers a unique opportunity to learn, network, and transform your career trajectory.
Ready to Launch? Be a Sponsor!
Secure your spot as a sponsor at Boost 24 and be part of the mission. Complete the form and we will email you details about our sponsor levels.
Thank you!
Friends & Sponsors
Looking to be a sponsor?
Learn More
Agenda Coming soon
Attending Reference Group has been amazing can’t wait to see and attend an all day event!
There’s no place like it where people show up to actually help each other and receive help.
Speakers & Mentors
Aaron Frosts
Aaron Frosts
Aaron Frost, affectionately known as "Frosty," is the CEO and Founder of HeroDevs, a pioneering company dedicated to providing long-term support for open-source software. Under his leadership, HeroDevs has emerged as a critical player in the tech industry, offering innovative solutions that ensure the security, compliance, and functionality of legacy software systems. Prior to founding HeroDevs in 2018, Aaron held significant roles at leading tech companies, including Capital One, Google, Orvis, Domo, and 1-800 Contacts. His extensive experience in software engineering and team leadership has been instrumental in shaping HeroDevs' mission and success. Aaron is also a co-founder of ng-conf, the world's first and largest Angular conference. His contributions to the tech community are further evidenced by his participation as a podcast panelist on the Angular Show and his role as an organizer for ng-conf. Under Aaron's guidance, HeroDevs has experienced remarkable growth, with a 4,105% increase in revenue over three years. The company's innovative approach to supporting end-of-life software has garnered recognition from industry leaders, ranking on the Inc 5000 as the Fastest Growing Company in Utah in 2024, and earned Aaron a nomination as a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Award in the Mountain West region. Beyond his professional endeavors, Aaron is a dedicated father of five and an identical twin. In his personal time, he enjoys fishing, cooking, and spending quality moments with his family.
Aaron McReynolds
Aaron McReynolds
With over a decade of experience in sales and sales management, Aaron is currently the Co-Founder and CEO of Alysio, an AI native interface that stitches all of your GTM tools together as the revenue command layer. Aaron has a proven track record of leading and growing sales teams in various markets, such as enterprise, corporate, and international. He has also successfully sold and managed accounts for some of the leading software companies in the industry, such as Lacework, Okta, and Qualtrics. Aaron began his career at Goldman Sachs within the Asset Management Division. He is a Brigham Young University alumni.
Alicia Wood
Alicia Wood
Alicia spent over a decade in the tech industry as a software engineer, engineering manager, and college professor of Computer Science. After becoming a mom, everything changed—she knew she wanted to prioritize being home with her son and quit her full time job. When life took an unexpected turn, Alicia chose to rebuild on her own terms, diving into entrepreneurship during one of the hardest seasons of her life. What began as teaching women to code and build mobile apps has evolved into a mission: helping faith-centered women—especially LDS moms—build profitable, part-time businesses from home, giving them permission to desire more and to create it intentionally with God! She is also the co-founder of The Preparedness Project, a company devoted to helping women and families strengthen both spiritual and temporal preparedness. Today Alicia designs her life around purpose and presence—working while her son is away and being a full-time mom when he’s home.
Amanda Price
Amanda Price
Amanda Price is a growth-focused marketing executive and venture operator with 15+ years of experience scaling B2C, B2B, and SaaS companies from early stage through acquisition. A 2x CMO and 2x female founder, she has led teams driving growth, brand differentiation, and category creation. She currently leads Marketing at Philo Ventures, partnering with portfolio founders to accelerate go-to-market strategies, customer acquisition, channel marketing, and scalable growth. Amanda is also an active member of VC Platform, the global community of platform leaders supporting 1,000+ venture funds worldwide.
Andrew Pincock
Andrew Pincock
Andrew Pincock is a Utah-based entrepreneur and growth marketer with nearly two decades in the internet industry spanning online payments, SaaS, ad tech, and performance media. A BYU Economics & Accounting grad, he has co-founded, led, and exited multiple bootstrapped startups. Today he operates a portfolio of ventures, applying data and Ai-driven acquisition, brand building across sectors such as legal and home services. When he’s not scaling businesses, he’s reading, practicing BJJ, and trying to keep up with his nine kids.
Anne Marie McDonald
Anne Marie McDonald
I’m Anne Marie, a double first name with a single focus: transforming ideas into thriving businesses. As a founder, co-founder, and executive leader, I drive growth and sustainability through strategic marketing, funding, and community building.
Barrett Edgington
Barrett Edgington
Barrett is an investor with Run Ventures, an early-stage tech-focused firm. Prior to Run, he held roles in various industries and functional areas including the NFL, Square 1 Bank, Peterson Ventures, BloomReach, Deloitte Consulting, and NBC Universal. Barrett has an MBA and BS in Strategy from BYU and is currently the Wolverine Fund Director at UVU. Outside of work, faith and family are his top priorities.
Barrett Edgington
Barrett Edgington
Barrett Edgington is an investor with Run Ventures, an early-stage VC firm investing in tech companies. Prior to Run, he held roles in various industries and functional areas including the NFL, Square 1 Bank, Peterson Ventures, BloomReach, Deloitte Consulting, and NBC Universal. Barrett has an MBA and BS in Strategy from BYU.
Ben Ard
Ben Ard
Masset raised a smaller VC round last year but has run the company lean to the point they’re now profitable. Confidentially planning on a Series A next year.
Ben Capell
Ben Capell
Ben is the Managing Director at Peterson Ventures. He has been with Peterson Ventures since inception, raising over $300 million in capital and overseeing investments in over 100 deals in his 10+ years of experience including leading the firms investments into 6 unicorns in the last 10 years including Allbirds (BIRD), Ethos Life, Lucid Software and Nomi Health among others. Prior to joining Peterson Ventures, Ben was the first employee hired at an enterprise tech startup based in Northern Virginia and spent several years at Charles River Associates, a leading global economic and business consulting firm headquartered in Boston. Ben received an MBA and a B.S. in Finance from Brigham Young University, where he was a Hawes Scholar.
Brady Davies
Brady Davies
Brady Davies is the CEO of OneMusic Schools, a national music academy platform acquiring and growing top-performing music schools across the country. With the mantra “Music is our calling. Operations is our craft,” Brady leads with a rare blend of heart and operational rigor—ensuring each school retains its local magic while benefiting from world-class systems, support, and scale. Brady studied business strategy at BYU and began his career in commercial real estate, where he honed his skills in negotiations, finance, and growth planning. But it was co-founding The Piano Place that awakened his deeper calling: building a company that changes lives through music. After scaling The Piano Place into one of the fastest-growing music schools in the region, he turned his focus to M&A and national expansion, creating a unified brand family that empowers music educators and delights families nationwide. Today, Brady is on a mission to elevate the music education industry through thoughtful growth, operational excellence, and founder-first partnerships.
Brandon Doyle
Brandon Doyle
Brandon Doyle is the founder of Wallaroo Media - a full service digital marketing and advertising agency that works with brands of all types, ranging from funded startups to Fortune 500 brands. Brandon is also chest-deep in AI and loves the tech world. He's married with four children and has a passion for travel, fitness, and sports.
Brian Beutler
Brian Beutler
Brian Beutler is the founder and CEO of Alianza, the leading cloud communications platform for communications service providers. He is on a mission to transform the way humans around the world connect with each other. Under Beutler’s leadership, Utah-based Alianza has forged a strategic partnerships with AWS and Microsoft Azure to accelerate the cloudification of the global communications network. Prior to Alianza, Brian founded GetFon, which he sold to AT&T/Alestra in 2008. He is also a graduate of Brigham Young University and lives with his wife and six children in Utah, where he enjoys hiking, biking, skiing, and snowboarding. An avid outdoorsman, he is a volunteer member of the Utah County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team, a group of skilled mountain rescue, search, and medical volunteers that aids people caught in critical circumstances in the mountains, lakes and rivers of Utah County.
Cahlan Sharp
Cahlan Sharp
Doer/Builder; harnessing AI to turn us into super learners w/ SchoolAI; formerly founder @ DevMountain; cofounder @ Prenda (YC S19)
Chad Jardine
Chad Jardine
Chad Jardine is the CEO/Founder of CMO Zen, a boutique fractional CMO firm specializing in service/tech and manufacturing companies from $2m to $50m in revenue. He has spent the past 20 years as a marketing executive and CEO building and growing companies. He teaches courses in venture capital to graduate students at the University of Utah and holds a BFA from Brigham Young University and an MBA in marketing from the University of Utah. He believes there’s only on reason to get out of bed in the morning and that's to change the world.
Chase D. Olson
Chase D. Olson
Chase Olson is the CEO and Founder of MetroMind Spatial, a visionary entrepreneur with deep expertise in geospatial intelligence, reality capture, and digital twin infrastructure. Having previously led TransformXD and scaled Smart Sky into South America’s largest reality capture firm, Olson brings a proven track record of pioneering city-scale digital twin projects that unlock billions in value by eliminating redundant surveys and siloed data. At MetroMind, he is driving the Scan Once, Serve Many™ model—digitizing entire municipalities with sub-centimeter precision and licensing the resulting data across public and private stakeholders. Olson’s leadership is positioning MetroMind as the backbone of smart city development, beginning with the Herriman Pilot in Utah and scaling to Salt Lake City’s Olympic transformation in 2026.
Chiao-ih Hui
Chiao-ih Hui
Chiao-ih Hui is an entrepreneur and community builder passionate about advancing health technology, wellness, and innovation. Founder of Solution Diagnostics and the VeriSureHealth platform, she is dedicated to making diagnostics more accessible, empowering people to take charge of their health. Beyond business, she’s an active volunteer and connector, committed to strengthening her local community and fostering supportive networks.
Chris Keller
Chris Keller
2x cofounder | 25-Year Marketing Leader | Fractional CMO | Built ~20 web/mobile applications | Employee #7 at Health Catalyst across 6 rounds of funding leading to $1.2B IPO | Focused on education, healthcare, creator, marketing/sales/ops effectiveness, and human connection solutions. Authentic mentor w/ loads of ideas willing to make intros to a deep bench of trusted friends across most industries.
Cliff Maxwell
Cliff Maxwell
Cliff is the CEO of Vocation, an AI career navigator that helps individuals find work that fits them and supercharges managers to get the best out of their teams. Prior to Vocation, Cliff was an investor at multiple early stage VC firms, investing primarily in AI and deep-tech. He was Chief of Staff to the late Professor Clayton Christensen, and began his career as a CPU design engineer.
Curtis Anderson
Curtis Anderson
Curtis Anderson is the founder and CEO of Nursa, a real-time technology platform that connects healthcare providers with the lowest-cost, reliable nurses for per-diem staffing. A technologist at heart, Anderson created Nursa in 2019 with the belief that an innovative software solution could solve many of the staffing challenges faced by facilities and nurses alike. Drawing on his experience founding and scaling an IT strategy and support business, as well as a traditional healthcare staffing agency, Anderson has built Nursa into a disruptive industry force with a community of more than 300,000 nurses and caregivers and 2,400 facility partners nationwide. He was named a 2024 CEO of the Year by Utah Business and was a finalist for Ernst &Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year® 2024 Mountain West Award, among other honors. Anderson is a graduate of Utah State University and lives in the Salt Lake City area with his wife and children.
Curtis J. Morley
Curtis J. Morley
Emotionologist Curtis Morley is a WSJ Best Selling Author, coach, mentor, educator, thought leader, mountaineer, and patent holder. He’s helped multiple entrepreneurs achieve next-level growth through his company, the Entrepreneurs Paradox. Curtis has built companies achieving 20x growth and acquired 96 of the Fortune 100 as clients, been awarded Entrepreneur of the Year, 40-Under-40, and Inc. 500/5000 six times, including Hall of Fame. He’s recently changed his focus to bringing to light the principles behind his forthcoming book, “Counterfeit Emotions.” He’s now sharing this life-changing message with individuals so they can find peace and achieve healthy, balanced, and centered lives.
Dr. Jim Hotaling, MD, MS, FECSM
Dr. Jim Hotaling, MD, MS, FECSM
Dr. Jim Hotaling, MD, MS, FECSM serves as Associate Vice President for Research Innovation and Translation at the University of Utah, where he bridges academic research and commercialization through initiatives including the recently launched University of Utah Ventures partnership with Epic Ventures. A physician-entrepreneur specializing in men's health, he has founded multiple companies including Paterna Biosciences (CMO), secured numerous patents, and raised over $10M in NIH funding. His dual expertise as Director of Men's Health and serial entrepreneur uniquely positions him to guide researchers through the innovation-to-market journey. Through leadership at the Utah Venture Hub, Dr. Hotaling advances the university's position as a leader in translating research into commercial impact.
Erika Mahterian
Erika Mahterian
Garrett Blood
Garrett Blood
Garrett Blood is the CEO and Founder of Kajae, a premium staff augmentation firm transforming how companies hire and how talent thrives. Entirely bootstrapped and debt-free from day one, Kajae connects Fortune 500-caliber professionals—many with MBAs, PhDs, and advanced experience—to U.S. companies in less than a week. In just three years, Kajae has grown nearly 1,900%, ranking #204 on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list, while also being named a Utah Business Fast 50 Emerging Company, a MountainWest Capital Network Emerging Elite, and the Silicon Slopes Start-Up of the Year. With more than 180,000 LinkedIn followers, Kajae continues to set the standard for rapid growth, high-caliber talent, and social impact. A serial entrepreneur, Garrett previously founded Arctic Zero, the world’s first protein-based ice cream, which scaled to 18,000 stores nationwide and became the #3 ice cream brand in America and ranked 57 of 552,000 food items on Amazon. At Kajae, he champions a “team member first” philosophy—paying five to ten times local wages, providing world-class benefits, and helping professionals move from poverty to the middle class in under 60 days. Originally from Southern California, Garrett is a lifelong entrepreneur, devoted husband of 24 years, and proud father of five. He’s passionate about skiing, wake-surfing, Star Wars, BYU football, and traveling with his family.
Gilbert Lee
Gilbert Lee
Gilbert Lee is the CMO at Torus Inc., a modern energy storage and management company. He and Nate Walkingshaw (CEO) cofounded Torus in 2021. Torus' mission is to empower communities to become their own sustainable energy provider. Torus is headquartered in South Salt Lake, Utah. Throughout his 25-year technology career, Gilbert has held product and design leadership roles across a variety of industries and organizations, including Pluralsight, Domo, O.C. Tanner, Northrup Grumman, Utah.gov, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is passionate about human-centered design, and enjoys sharing his knowledge on the subject with companies seeking to design better products and experiences.
Grant Gordon
Grant Gordon
Co-founder & CEO of Artemis Health through $200M exit in 2021, serving over 1000 customers like Amazon, Boeing, Home Depot, Google. and Raised $60M from top VCs like Bessemer, F-Prime, Maverick, and Kickstart. Deep expertise in product, engineering, design, fundraising, go to market, team building, and strategy.
Greg Dunn
Greg Dunn
Greg is the Co-Founder of recently launched mental health SaaS platform NextTherapist. After working for software companies for 20+ years it was time to venture out and create a tool to support those in need in our communities. Greg’s background is in finance and accounting. He has worked for blue bloods like EY, GE, Adobe, eBay, and Fiat Chrysler. He has also spent time working for portfolio companies of PE leaders Viata Equity, KKR, and CD&R - resulting in 3 successful exits at 2-3x purchase multiples. Greg has an MBA and Bachelors of Accounting from BYU.
JR De Agostini
JR De Agostini
Co-Founder & COO - Attaboy COO - Farcast Operating Partner - Jordanelle Cap Principal - Peterson Partners Stanford MBA Navy SEAL
Jack Boren
Jack Boren
Jack Boren is a Managing Partner at EPIC Ventures, where he leads investments across the technology sector, with an emphasis on healthtech and biotech. He has backed several impactful healthcare and biotech startups, including Collective Medical Technologies (acquired by PointClickCare), Conversa Health (acquired by Amwell), and Recursion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: RXRX), and currently works with companies including Redo, Unlearn.AI, Healthjoy, Videra Health, and Culmination Bio. With a career dedicated to early-stage investing, Jack brings a deep understanding of how to identify and support transformative companies in complex, high-impact sectors.
Jacob Andra
Jacob Andra
Jacob Andra is the CEO of Talbot West, a leading AI enablement company, and is a regular speaker, thought leader, and author on the topic of applied AI. Jacob hosts The Applied AI Podcast and is the co-founder of BizForesight, an AI advisory platform for the M&A ecosystem.
Jake Hiller
Jake Hiller
Jake Hiller is a seasoned entrepreneur and business leader with nearly 20 years of experience in IT solutions, team development, and investment consulting. As Co-Founder of INTELITECHS and now Director of Business Development at Nexus IT, he has built a reputation for helping organizations strengthen their technology, culture, and growth strategies. Jake is passionate about mentoring the next generation of leaders, drawing on his background in innovation, customer service, and business development to inspire others to achieve lasting success.
Jami Furniss
Jami Furniss
Jami Furniss is a serial entrepreneur who can’t seem to stop starting (and selling) businesses—including Moxie Blankets, The Bickering Sisters, and The Moxie Agency. She now co-leads the Tiburones Baseball Club, wrangles young athletes like it’s her side hustle, and just launched One Way Jerky, proving you don’t have to settle for sad gas station snacks. Off the field and out of the boardroom, she’s a mom, a full-blown sports fanatic, and the face of a brand-new YouTube cooking channel—because apparently running companies wasn’t enough chaos for one person.
Jaque Elliott
Jaque Elliott
Jaquelynne Elliott is a seasoned banking professional with deep expertise in venture capital and innovation finance. Currently with HSBC’s Innovation Bank, she focuses on building relationships with VCs, founders, and growth-stage companies while helping expand the bank’s presence across the Central U.S. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business and later her MBA from the University of Notre Dame. Jaquelynne also serves actively on the Eccles alumni board, where she has led fundraising efforts to support scholarships for future students. Passionate about mentorship, she brings a unique perspective as both a finance leader and a parent, balancing her career with raising two children and staying engaged in her community. She is especially committed to helping others navigate career growth, network building, and the intersection of family and professional life.
Jason Fairbourne
Jason Fairbourne
Jason Fairbourne is the founder and CEO of Yoodlize, a peer-to-peer rental marketplace reshaping how people think about ownership and consumption. Before launching Yoodlize, Jason served as a professor at BYU’s Marriott School of Management, was a prolific author and speaker, built an international consulting firm, and launched a social business incubator in Kenya that employs hundreds of people. Jason has raised capital, scaled startups, and built Yoodlize into a pioneering platform at the forefront of the circular economy. His vision is to empower communities across the United States to “own experiences, not things,” creating a more efficient use of our resources. Jason follows a work-hard-play-hard mentality and can often be found outdoors engaging in a myriad of activities.
Jed Morley
Jed Morley
Jed Morley is the Founder & CEO of Backstory Branding, a brand strategy and messaging firm that multiplies the value of growth-stage companies by getting their stories straight. With over 20 years of experience, Jed has helped build category-leading brands including BambooHR, Consensus, Gabb, Grow, Havenpark Communities, Lucidchart, Property Management Inc. (PMI), SecurityMetrics, Tanner, and Vasion. His proprietary Backstory Brand Wheel™ Framework empowers leaders to clarify their purpose, articulate their value, and codify their culture—driving alignment, accelerating growth, and setting the stage for bigger impact and better exits. Jed’s book, Building a Brand That Scales, was published by Fast Company Press. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family and cycling both mountain and road trails.
Jessie Warner
Jessie Warner
Jessie Warner is a passionate business leader and Fractional Chief Marketing Officer. With over 20 years of experience, Jessie is a seasoned marketing professional who has worked with more than 50 companies across multiple sectors, including financial services, software, construction, and more. He has extensive knowledge in marketing and sales operations, demand generation, content strategy, web design, sales enablement, affiliate marketing, email marketing, and more. Most importantly, Jessie is a devoted husband, father of six children, and loves helping and mentoring others.Jessie Warner is a passionate business leader and Fractional Chief Marketing Officer. With over 20 years of experience, Jessie is a seasoned marketing professional who has worked with more than 50 companies across multiple sectors, including financial services, software, construction, and more. He has extensive knowledge in marketing and sales operations, demand generation, content strategy, web design, sales enablement, affiliate marketing, email marketing, and more. Most importantly, Jessie is a devoted husband, father of six children, and loves helping and mentoring others.
Joel Ragar
Joel Ragar
Joel Ragar is the Co-Founder and VP of Product at Applause. He leads strategy and supports development across product, design, and engineering, with a focus on building tools that align user behavior with business outcomes. Joel previously supported product growth at LucidChart during its rapid expansion.
Josh Petersen
Josh Petersen
Josh Petersen is an entrepreneur and business leader who founded and leads Intermountain Fence Pros, one of Utah’s fastest-growing fencing companies. A BYU MBA graduate, he brings a strong background in strategy and operations, having worked as a management consultant helping organizations streamline processes and boost performance. Before launching his own ventures, Josh led teams in SaaS and tech startups, focusing on scaling operations and driving growth.
Josh Robbins
Josh Robbins
Prior to founding Premara Group, an M&A advisory firm, Josh was the COO of RAGS, a venture-backed consumer brand, where he raised a Series A round and helped build the team for scalable growth. Before RAGS, Josh led Business Development and Strategic Partnerships at Qualtrics and Lucid Software, driving millions in value through partnerships with Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and others. Earlier in his career, Josh spent several years at Amazon in Seattle, where he managed a $200M+ business unit within the Tools and Home Improvement category. Josh holds an MBA from Cornell University and both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Accounting from BYU. He also played Division I soccer at the University of Portland (currently ranked #1 nationally) before serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Josh lives with his wife Courtney and their four teenage boys.
Justin Smith
Justin Smith
Justin Smith is a Partner and CFO at Amplēo, bringing over 20 years of experience in financial management across diverse industries, including transportation/logistics, SaaS, financial services, and restaurants. He specializes in driving financial results in high-growth organizations, with experience in capital raising, budgeting, forecasting, P&L management, financial planning, and shareholder relations. Justin is known for his people-centered, collaborative approach, focusing on building productive teams, streamlining processes, and minimizing risks to strengthen company financial positions. During his time at Amplēo, he has helped various companies achieve double digit revenue growth and implement effective financial strategies. Before joining Amplēo in 2022, Justin served as the head of finance for a transportation/logistics company, where he helped grow company revenue from $330 million to $650 million in six years. In addition to his professional work, Justin actively volunteers with local youth sports and religious organizations, contributing to his community. He lives in Hooper, UT with his beautiful wife, Holly, and their four amazing children.
Kat Kennedy
Kat Kennedy
Kat Kennedy is a General Partner at Kickstart Fund. She is passionate about building—products, companies, and the startup ecosystem in the Mountain West. Before joining Kickstart as a General Partner, she was President and CXO of Degreed. Today, her fifteen years of operating experience gives her a unique perspective as an investor—one that allows her to not only spot talented entrepreneurs from all backgrounds but also to serve as a mentor, fostering innovation through every stage of the company’s growth.
Kory Stevens
Kory Stevens
The Stevens are a dynamic duo! A pair who together have overcome fear, embraced their humanity and found a way forward! They built and sold Taft shoes and are beginning their next business - Tuff Pops.
Kristy Muir
Kristy Muir
Kristy Muir is an Investor and Operator with expertise in Operations, Strategy, Revenue Turnaround, GTM, and M&A Ops. As a former founder, she played a significant role in shaping Utah's thriving ecosystem over the past 20 years. Kristy recently served on the executive team that led a multi-million dollar acquisition and merger for Instructure. As Vice President of Global Customer Experience, she managed and grew millions in revenue while leading teams of 70+ across five countries, and managing several roll-ups. Currently a Senior Associate at Pelion Venture Partners, Kristy brings experience as an operating advisor, board observer, and investor.
Kyle D. C. Poulin
Kyle D. C. Poulin
Kyle Poulin is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and advisor with deep roots in Utah’s startup ecosystem. As the founder of Bridge 4 Ventures, he works closely with early-stage companies to refine pricing strategies, fundraising approaches, and business models. He also serves as an adjunct professor at BYU’s Marriott School of Business, where he teaches Entrepreneurial Analytics to MBA students—equipping them with tools to quantify business value through data-driven insights. Kyle’s experience spans founding and scaling ventures, advising startups, and leading investment efforts, making him a trusted resource for entrepreneurs navigating growth and strategy. Kyle's current thesis at Bridge 4 Ventures is a focus on profitable ventures via bootstrapped launches and MicroPE acquisitions.
Kyle Reyes
Kyle Reyes
Dr. Kyle A. Reyes is Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Utah Valley University and a tenured Associate Professor of Education. With nearly 22 years at UVU, he has led key initiatives in diversity, inclusion, and student success. He developed UVU’s Strategic Inclusion and Diversity Plan and has delivered over 800 presentations nationwide on equity, leadership, and cultural competence. Dr. Reyes also serves on national and state boards, including Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education. His book Lenses of Humanity was published in 2024. He has received multiple national awards for his leadership and impact.
Kyle Shurtz
Kyle Shurtz
Kyle Shurtz is a blackjack enthusiast turned Fractional CMO who sees marketing as the ultimate game of calculated risk. With over $100M in ad spend managed, he’s helped businesses of all types scale smarter and faster. Known for combining data-driven insights with bold, bet-worthy strategies, Kyle believes that if you study the odds and play your hand wisely, you can consistently lower Customer Acquisition Costs and win big. His approach has driven billions in revenue for clients and partners across diverse industries. Whether you're ready to double down on your growth strategy or just want to stop leaving chips on the table, Kyle brings the energy, tactics, and track record to change your trajectory. 🎰 Marketing isn't a gamble when you know how to stack the deck.
Landon Taylor
Landon Taylor
Landon Taylor is the CEO of Snoball, a word-of-mouth marketing platform for home service companies. Landon's been a bootstrapped entrepreneur his entire career having built and sold two businesses prior to Snoball. He grew up in Alpine, Utah, is a proud alum of Lone Peak High School, and graduated from BYU in 2010. Landon and his wife Kelsi live in Alpine with their 5 kids and a dog. When not at home they are likely at a soccer field, baseball diamond, or basketball court supporting their kids in the sports they love.
Logan Williams
Logan Williams
Logan Williams is a product design leader with over a decade of experience helping startups transform complex, undefined challenges into clear, customer-friendly solutions that drive growth. Most notably, he spent four years in the sales and finance space helping to build and lead the design team at Spiff (acquired by Salesforce). More recently, he joined Haus, a marketing science startup, as their Head of Design. Outside of work, he’s a dad who loves taking his family to the desert to unplug from tech and reconnect with nature.
Loren Larsen
Loren Larsen
Loren Larsen is the CEO and co-founder of Videra Health, the leading AI-driven mental health assessment platform, and is a pioneer in leveraging video and artificial intelligence to assess and measure mental health. He is skilled in developing technologies that can analyze human emotion and language with astonishing accuracy has positioned him as a vanguard in applying AI to empathetic healthcare solutions. Prior to Videra, Larsen was the CTO of HireVue, a trailblazing video job interviewing platform with advanced machine learning algorithms. He also co-founded Nomi Health, a direct healthcare company striving to innovate within the healthcare service and technology space.
Luis Benavides
Luis Benavides
Founder & CEO of Neighborbrite, an AI landscape designer and marketplace with over 500k registered users. Former Google and Coinbase product leader, launched AI-driven marketplaces and ad platforms, including a Google startup that scaled to millions of users training AI via CAPTCHA-style tasks. 14+ years in AI, search quality, recommendation systems, and personalization. Holds a Master’s in eBusiness and ICT for Management, multiple patents, and defensive publications. Fluent in Spanish, English, German, and Italian.
Mallory Stevens
Mallory Stevens
The Stevens are a dynamic duo! A pair who together have overcome fear, embraced their humanity and found a way forward! They built and sold Taft shoes and are beginning their next business - Tuff Pops.
Matt Moody
Matt Moody
Matt Moody is the CEO & Founder of Sidekick BD, Reunion and No Excuse Supplements, a dynamic business leader who enjoys variety in his work. He loves to help business leaders scale, connect, and unlock new opportunities. With a passion for empowering entrepreneurs, Matt champions the idea that true success comes from pursuing what you love. His go-to guiding mantra: "Do something you love and that you're passionate about, and the money will follow and work each day will not feel like a grind.” Matt has a love for health and wellness and enjoys helping others regain their health through tried and true methods of natural healing.
Matthew Holman
Matthew Holman
Matt is the founder of Commerce Catalyst, an ecommerce community centered in Utah that provides education, connection, and events for members. Matt has worked in ecommerce for 7+ years, in shipping and subscriptions. He's also the founder of Subscription Prescription, a consultancy focused on acquiring and retaining subscribers.
Michael Jenson
Michael Jenson
Michael is an accomplished entrepreneur, strategy and operations executive, and content producer. He has 15+ years of experience on both the creative and business side of tech and media. He was the co-founder and COO of SPKR, which was acquired and went public on the NYSE. Michael is former film / tv producer at Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros., producing films for Netflix, Sony, and NBC Universal. He is a former venture capitalist and extensive startup advisor. He is currently a Principal and AI practice lead at Cicero / MGT, a leading consulting firm based in Salt Lake.
Minna Roh-Johnson
Minna Roh-Johnson
Minna Roh-Johnson is a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Utah. She has over 15 years of experience in cancer research, with an emphasis on how immune cells regulate cancer progression. Minna recently co-founded CaLycia Bioscience, an early stage start up focused on engineering immune cells to recognize and kill cancer cells.
Nate Walkingshaw
Nate Walkingshaw
Nate Walkingshaw is CEO and founder of Torus. He also led teams at Pluralsight and was also founder of Paramed Systems (sold to Stryker). He currently serves on the board at 47G, Pura, amongst several volunteer positions.
Nick McGhie
Nick McGhie
With experience spanning venture capital, management consulting, and global account management, Nick brings a unique blend of strategic insight and operational execution to help high-growth companies thrive. He has a strong a track record of scaling customer success teams, driving revenue growth, and building strong client relationships across SaaS and technology. At Awardco, he built the Enterprise CSM team, boosted efficiency, and enhanced the customer journey during a critical growth stage. Previously at Qualtrics, he managed $8M+ in enterprise accounts with high customer retention and helped drive significant expansion.
PT Ungvichian
PT Ungvichian
PT is a Partner at Run Ventures focused on nextgen security, monetization 2.0, and infratech. Prior to Run, he’s held roles at SoftBank Vision Fund, CapitalG, Goldman Sachs, LVT, and Pluralsight - and also knows the founder journey first-hand from a failed start-up. Outside of work, he has a borderline unhealthy love for burritos, movie trailers, and light jackets.
Peter Harris
Peter Harris
Peter Harris is a founding partner at University Growth Fund, where he leads sourcing, diligence, portfolio, and the student program. He’s invested in 100+ companies including OpenAI, Spotify, Lyft, Snap, Carta, Instructure, and Workfront. A teacher at heart, he’s mentored hundreds of students, helping them gain real world venture capital experience and launch amazing careers. Find him on Youtube @vcpete
Rachelle Morris
Rachelle Morris
Rachelle Morris is a managing director of Stalwart Ventures, a seed stage venture fund. She has extensive investment experience, having been an executive at Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan prior to launching Stalwart Ventures in 2022. Rachelle is currently serving on the board of directors at This Is The Place Heritage Park and was recently named a Utah Business 30 Women to Watch.
Renato Villanueva
Renato Villanueva
Renato Villanueva is the CEO, co-founder of Parallel. He and the team are productizing what he did at Divvy. A tool to help business leaders make better financial decisions quicker.
Reuben Holdaway
Reuben Holdaway
Reuben is a Tech-junkie turned VC investor at Convoi Ventures; where he was on the founding team. His background includes MX and Instructure; among a couple other startup adventures. While a student, he spent time at Album VC, Wolverine Fund, and Portfolio Advisors. He's a graduate from UVU—a proud Wolverine, and is a Utah native; born and raised here in Utah county.
Ryan King
Ryan King
I am currently the CFO at Thread Wallets in Provo, Utah. As a company, we focus on selling fun and functional minimalist wallets and other carry accessories. Over the past few years the company has seen tremendous growth from making our wallets by hand in a garage and selling our products at farmers markets and local retailers, to now having a presence in all 50 states and many countries around the world.
Ryan Porter
Ryan Porter
Ryan Porter was one of the original founders of LVT which began in 2005. Under Porter’s leadership, LVT has grown to hundreds of employees and has clients across public and private industries including retail, law enforcement, government, critical infrastructure, and construction. Originally from Southern California, Porter came to Utah to study finance at Utah Valley State College. He worked in finance for eight years until he founded LVT. Porter enjoys the outdoors and loves snowmobiling, boating, and building LVT. He and his wife have four children and live in Provo, Utah.
Scott Cummings
Scott Cummings
Scott is the CEO of NexTalk, an accessibility SaaS and services provider transforming communication for the Deaf, hard of hearing, and non-English speaking communities. Under his leadership, he led the company through acquisition and continues to advance their mission by focusing on innovation and go to market strategies. Before NexTalk, Scott held leadership roles at SAP, shaping business development, customer-focused outcomes and operational excellence. His experience in enterprise software and leadership in large-scale organizations have equipped him with a deep understanding of how technology can address complex challenges and create sustainable, positive impacts.
Sean Holladay
Sean Holladay
Shawn Holladay is cofounder of the Spacestation. He works with brands and influencers to build great businesses. He has expertise in community building and multimedia. He has worked with brands like ollipop, MrBeast, magic spoon, and hundreds of brands you know and love.
Seth Sunderland
Seth Sunderland
Seth Sunderland is an investor, entrepreneur, and former investment banker. Currently, Seth is the CEO of Spring Canyon Capital, a privately-owned real estate investment and asset management company focused on Utah and the Intermountain West. Seth previously worked for UBS Investment Bank from 2004 until 2018 where he executed merger and acquisition transactions with a cumulative value of over $35 billion. From 2011 to 2018 he was based in Asia and served as head of Southeast Asia Mergers and Acquisitions for UBS.
Seth Weinert
Seth Weinert
Seth Weinert is a dynamic sales leader with over a decade of experience building and scaling teams across SaaS and healthcare. He currently leads a sales organization at Strive Compounding Pharmacy, where he’s helping transform how personalized medications are delivered to patients. Previously, Seth co-founded Ovation, the #1 restaurant guest feedback platform and a 500 Startups graduate, scaling revenue from $0 to over $1M+. He has also driven growth at early-stage tech companies including Zibtek, Clearview Social, and Hightop, where his proven outbound sales models and “hunter-first” mentality helped move businesses from founder-led sales to predictable, repeatable growth. Passionate about sales leadership and team development, Seth thrives at the intersection of strategy and execution. Outside of work, he’s usually skiing, climbing, or biking in the Tetons with his wife and two kids.
Shane Rowley
Shane Rowley
I think businesses run better when things are simple, repeatable, and spoken aloud. I care about whether your business is working, and if you're still connected to why it exists. Most days, I’m a mix of leader, strategic finance advisor, and business translator. I’ve worked with (and in) companies from early-stage to $100M+, including serving as CFO at Owlet, where I helped guide financial strategy through rapid growth and complexity. I’ve also stepped into the classroom as a college professor at Utah Valley University, where I taught Managerial Accounting and mentored up-and-coming business leaders. Regardless of title or stage, the work I’m most proud of is the kind that helps people stay in business and define success in a way that’s true to them. So often, it starts with a question that feels too simple to ask and uncovering what hasn’t been said out loud yet. What’s at play for you? What are you not doing because you’re too busy doing this? I’m motivated by the pursuit of mastery, not just in what I build, but in who I’m becoming. So far I’ve learned: 1. That half the solution is great leaders, and 2. Simplicity tends to scale better than complexity Outside of work, I’m a dad to five and married to someone I deeply admire. I coach a little tennis (mostly for the kids - it’s a blast). I believe it’s my job to show them the world, not just the tourist version, and how other people live. Often with the help of airline points and a bit of creativity. I speak fluent Spanish, love anything involving a racket or a scoreboard, and always get a kick out of learning something new, even if it means falling off a kiteboard a few times along the way. If you’re trying to grow your business - or wondering why it feels heavy - reach out. I love this stuff.
Shaun Sorensen
Shaun Sorensen
CEO and founder of Kenect, which has been consistently ranked by Deloitte as one of the highest ranked and fastest growing companies in Utah. Shaun primarily bootstrapped the company (with a little F&F funding), sold one company to a strategic and then Kenect to a PE.
Shauna Smith
Shauna Smith
Sunny Washington
Sunny Washington
Sunny is a startup founder at heart who has spent the last two decades building and scaling Utah tech companies. She helped grow Instructure in its early years, founded Because Learning (acquired in 2020), and is now CEO and cofounder of OrcaPanda, the category-defining AI visibility solution that ensures brands can be found in AI-driven search.
Tanner McDaniel
Tanner McDaniel
Tanner is an investor and fund manager with Pipeline Capital Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on enterprise software and consumer technology companies. Prior to joining Pipeline, Tanner led an outsourced CFO and fund administration firm, overseeing over $10B in capital commitments and working with hundreds of early stage venture funds. Outside of VC, Tanner enjoys the great outdoors, serving in his community, a good laugh, and planning the next family adventure.
Trent Mano
Trent Mano
Trent is a co-founder and General Partner at Convoi Ventures, a pre-seed venture capital fund that focuses on the earliest stage of startups in Utah. Convoi's mission is to be the first to find and fund Utah's next breakout startups. Trent is also a co-founder of Utah Tech Week, Utah's largest festival for the startup community. It is a week long grassroots tech and startup festival that brought together 197 events and 15,000 total attendees in Utah. When not investing in startups and backing founders through Convoi and building community through Utah Tech Week, Trent can normally be found outdoors with his wife and 4 kids, or running in the Provo Canyon.
Tyler Jennings
Tyler Jennings
Experienced leader in start-up, Inc 500 growth companies, and multi-national organizations. Focused on delivering exceptional customer experiences. My personal motto is "there is always a better way". Excited by new challenges and the opportunity to create products, platforms, and businesses. Passionate about helping Utah achieve it's potential.
Vanessa Quigley
Vanessa Quigley
Vanessa Quigley is a mom of seven and co-founder of Chatbooks, the photo book company that helps families hold onto what matters most. Her work centers on connection, storytelling, and making memory-keeping simple for modern families. Vanessa was named Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year, and under her leadership, Chatbooks was recognized by Fortune as the #1 place to work for women in the U.S. She is also the host of The MomForce Podcast and author of Real Moms, Real Hacks.
Wes Clark
Wes Clark
High tech, mattresses, shoes and many things in between, what’s the common thread? A natural curiosity and a desire to build brands with amazing people. My career has been one of jumping in with both feet and figuring it out as we go. Whether it’s in a rotational leadership program at Intel, heading up international marketing, sales and operations for Purple mattress, or leading Marketing operations And Marketplace at Kizik shoes, I excel when I’m facing new challenges. My passions include my family, building community and mentoring. Please reach out if I can help in any way.