Entrepreneurial Management News 

Jimmy Valverde says his younger self would be surprised he is graduating from the BYU Marriott School of Business with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurial management. Looking back on his journey, Valverde says that God has led him, step-by-step, to opportunities greater than he envisioned for himself.

Twenty-four university professors from across the United States filed into the Wilkinson Student Center Skyroom in February for a special interest group summit devoted to faith and entrepreneurship. As they admired the snow-covered mountains in their view, they heard from a panel of three Brigham Young University students who discussed how they’ve combined faith with entrepreneurship, leading to a greater purpose behind their pursuits.

At the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, student entrepreneurs have the opportunity to turn their big ideas into reality. These self-starters say entrepreneurship becomes more fulfilling as they work to develop themselves and build relationships.

When he was young, Ryan Zimbauer remembers his mom telling him that his future career would involve something that hadn’t been invented yet. Now, as the winner of the 2025 Big Idea Competition hosted by the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology at the BYU Marriott School of Business, Zimbauer says the recognition for his project, MagPocket, is a result of continually seeking and taking opportunities to learn.

After witnessing his mom fight breast cancer, Peyton Jackson worked with the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology to start Indel, a company that treats breast cancer through gene therapy. For Jackson and other student entrepreneurs, their journey has required more than hard work and studying; they find support from Christlike predecessors and an entrepreneurial culture at the BYU Marriott School of Business.

What do beekeeping, management communication, and software development have in common? They’re just three of the disciplines that helped Varroa Tech, a startup that uses gas detection to warn beekeepers of dangerous parasite levels in their hives, to win $16,500 and the 2024–2025 Student Innovator of the Year competition.

Whether a student startup is inventing a collapsible asthma spacer or crafting a high-protein cheese, the Miller Grants from the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology are ready to support student innovation at Brigham Young University.

In its April 2025 awards ceremony, the BYU Marriott School of Business recognized selected faculty, staff, and administrators for exemplifying the college’s vision, mission, values, and guiding principle in both classroom and administrative work.

In March the BYU Marriott School of Business administration recognized a graduating student from each undergraduate program with the Bateman Award for their exemplary dedication to the BYU Marriott values, commitment to academic excellence, and profound drive to serve others.

According to Trent Williams, life is like a hike; instead of being a linear process, life is more of an emergent experience that we discover step by step. Williams says that remembering that God understands each unanticipated twist and turn has been key to learning from unexpected experiences as they come.

Reid Tileston, an adjunct professor at the BYU Marriott School of Business, first became a business owner at age 16 when he took over his brother’s small airport-shuttle business. The experience helped Tileston begin developing an appreciation for entrepreneurship through acquisition that has directed his career ever since.

Jose and Adela Montoya Brañez—a sibling duo studying entrepreneurial management at the BYU Marriott School of Business—are passionate about entrepreneurship and the chance it gives them to serve others.

For the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, celebrating a new office space meant music, free food, and an abundance of information for students interested in starting their own businesses. In September students at Brigham Young University were invited to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony to learn more about the center’s new south campus space and its services for BYU entrepreneurs.

A group of enterprising BYU students aim to significantly — if not entirely — reduce parking violations in paid parking lots, college and otherwise. And their idea, an AI detection and tracking system called Spot Parking, just got a major endorsement and $12,000 in cash by winning the 2024 BYU Student Innovator of the Year competition.

Sterling Petersen has such a passion for mountain biking, he decided to make it his day job. Since graduating from BYU Marriott’s entrepreneurship program, he’s created multiple startups focused on mountain biking products and has built a collaborative work environment in the process.

Eight professors joined the faculty at the BYU Marriott School of Business in 2023. “We are excited to welcome these new faculty members,” says Brigitte Madrian, dean of BYU Marriott. “In line with our mission to develop leaders of faith, intellect, and character, these new faculty bring insight and experience that will contribute to the educational experience BYU Marriott offers its students.”

From managing different facets of a family business at a young age to pursuing a finance career after college, Mallory Stack fiercely works to become more versatile in her life perspective and career. A 2018 entrepreneurial management alumna from the BYU Marriott School of Business, Stack continues to gather as many insights from the corporate world as possible.

BYU Marriott School of Business dean Brigitte C. Madrian has announced Mike Hendron as the next director of the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology effective June 17, 2023. He replaces Chris Crittenden who had served as the center’s director since 2021.

One of BYU’s student startups just walked away with the most prize money at the biggest and most prestigious collegiate business plan competition in the country. “Zaymo,” with its e-commerce tool that embeds the online shopping experience within a customer’s email, took home $875,000 in total cash investments after taking third place at the 2023 Rice Business Plan Competition last month. This comes after winning the $30,000 grand prize at the Utah Entrepreneur Challenge earlier this year.

Jeffrey Burningham, BYU alumni, donor, and partner to the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, believes that the creative process is a pivotal piece to a fulfilling life. From creating startups in college to venture capital, to owning Peak Capital Partners, Burningham teaches and mentors with the message that everyone is capable of creating new ideas that can better lives and society.