Brigham Young University student companies took six of the top seven spots at the Utah Student 25, an annual competition recognizing Utah’s top student-founded businesses.
At the top of the list was H.M. Cole, a luxury men’s clothing company that specializes in personalized tailoring. Daniel McConkie, co-founder of the company and a junior Marriott School of Management global supply chain student, was present to accept the first place award at a ceremony held at Thanksgiving Point.
“Being recognized as the top student-founded business in Utah is a great confidence booster,” says McConkie, a Colorado Spring, Colo., native. “Entrepreneurs are doing things they have never done before and may have never been done by anyone. That means there are failures along the way, so these successes are essential.”
Led by H.M. Cole, BYU student-run companies accounted for 16 of the top 25 awards presented at the Utah Student 25 to businesses from colleges and universities across Utah. Applicants are required to be full-time students, own a significant portion of the company, hold a management position within the company, and have financial information up-to-date. Businesses are rank-listed based on a combination of sustained revenue and profit.
Additional BYU-represented teams included:
No. 2 — DevMountain
No. 4 — Cowboy Donuts
No. 5 — Pop’nSweets
No. 6 — Hruska’s Kolaches
No. 7 — Saints Paintball
No. 9 — Piper & Scoot
No. 11 — Discovery Simulations | D.SIM
No. 13 — Dig It! Volleyball Club
No. 14 — Utah Announcements
No. 15 — Hoops ASL
No. 16 — WordUp, Inc.
No. 19 — My Home’s Story
No. 21 — KiLife Tech
No. 23 — Helivate Films L.C.
No. 24 — Recyclops
The event gave student entrepreneurs unique opportunities to share ideas, receive feedback, gain exposure and network with like-minded individuals.
“During my time as a BYU professor of entrepreneurship, I came across students who were taking 16 credit hours and had started and were managing companies with significant revenues,” says John Richards, who founded the Utah Student 25 in 2009. “The Utah Student 25 is a way to provide recognition for these incredible student entrepreneurs.”
Many of the entrants from BYU received mentoring through the Marriott School’s Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology. Faculty, alumni and other successful entrepreneurs provide students from across campus mentoring and tools as each seeks to grow their company while also keeping up with their studies.
“The resources on the BYU campus are unbeatable,” McConkie says. “You are surrounded by professionals that are your free consultants, by competitions that bring interested investors to the school and by classmates that are willing to help research and work on your business-related struggles.”
The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems and public management. The school’s mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School’s graduate and undergraduate programs.
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Writer: Kasee Bailey