The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute held their annual year-end showcase, Lassonde Demo Day, on Wednesday, April 30 in Lassonde Studios. Approximately 30 student teams participated in the event, representing a small sampling of the 400-500 startup teams they work with annually.

The event celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit and innovation of student entrepreneurs and features a wide array of student-created products, ranging from athletic wear and energy drinks to boats, vitamin supplements, and even matchmaking services.

Jordan Charlesworth, a graduating student in the Master’s of Business Creation program, presented his startup, Addon Games, a creative approach to early math education through board and card games. Leveraging his passion for games and recognizing a consistent educational need, Charlesworth decided to combine the two and aligned his game designs with state curriculum standards to ensure both fun and educational value.

“I’m trying to create math cards and board games for every core concept in the math curriculum for kindergarten to sixth grade,” he said. His first product focuses on “number bonds,” a foundational concept in early education, delivered through a slap-jack style game where players match and discard cards to win. It’s a promising example of how entrepreneurship can blend creativity and practical impact.

Throughout the year, the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute provides these students with crucial support, including resources, mentorship, funding, and prototyping space to help bring their ideas to life. Demo Day marks the culmination of that effort, allowing students to publicly sell their products and interact with potential customers, and also gives students the opportunity to refine their business acumen in a real-world setting.

For Nicole Miller and JoLynn Spruance, co-founders of UT Match, the Master of Business Creation program has equipped them with critical business skills to grow and scale what they’ve been doing for years. Rooted in a shared passion for relationship-building—they introduced each other to their husbands—Miller and Spruance’s 30-year friendship and matchmaking history inspired UT Match. Their service targets busy single members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints aged 26–35, and offers personalized, in-person matchmaking and dating coaching. They focus on curating matches that take clients from first date to wedding day with a goal of building the largest LDS dating pool in the U.S.

Many participants go on to either expand their ventures or continue their entrepreneurial journeys in new directions, explained Thad Kelling, marketing and public relations director for the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. Some launch lasting companies, while others gain the mindset and skillset to innovate in any professional field. “Whether or not these students go on to make millions, all of these students are learning valuable skills that they then apply to whatever future—whether that’s working for themselves or working for a corporation,” he said, underscoring that program’s focus on personal development over commercial success.

Demo Day concluded with remarks, announcements and awards. Dean Kurt Dirks of the David Eccles School of Business called it “an awesome day for our school and the economy of Utah and beyond.” He expressed admiration for the student entrepreneurs, mentors and alumni who’ve shaped the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute before welcoming Pierre Lassonde, whose vision and financial contributions founded the Institute over two decades ago.

The day also featured the announcement of Scott Holley as the new executive director of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. “This is a storybook ending for us,” Dean Dirks said, noting Holley’s early involvement as one of the program’s original student leaders who went on to become a successful entrepreneur.

Holley, reflecting on the moment, said, “All of the doors professionally that opened for me were made possible by the programs that have grown into this incredible, top 10-ranked institute.”

He honored his mentors, Troy D’Ambrosio and Jack Brittain by announcing two new alumni-funded scholarships: the Troy D’Ambrosio Builder Scholarship and the Jack Brittain Vision Scholarship, to be awarded to students next fall who embody their legacy of leadership and vision.

“I would like to thank Troy, Jack and Pierre for what they’ve built here and for what they’ve built inside of me and thousands of other students that have directly benefited from these programs,” he continued. “Troy and Jack saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself, their generosity of time and energy gave me the confidence and direction I needed, and that model of generosity has been one that I have tried to emulate throughout my career, and all of it was made possible by the generosity of Pierre and his family.”

The event also honored current students, including Emma Koa, who was recognized for her inspirational contributions to the Lassonde community, and Sadie Bowen, who received the prestigious 3S Student Leadership Award.

As Pierre Lassonde closed out Demo Day, he reflected on the broader impact of entrepreneurship: “Every second of your life you’re touching the life of someone else, you create a better life for everybody.”