BYU Marriott School of Business MBA alumna Cydni Tetro described standing in a Parisian mansion as Post Malone debuted his new fashion line. Tetro was one of the investors in the project, and her children, who were with her at the event, had one question for her: “How did you get into this room?”
Tetro, who was honored with the 2025 Alumni Achievement Award for BYU Marriott, answered that question at the 2025 Honored Alumni Lecture.
After graduating from the MBA program, Tetro worked as a product manager at a startup software company. When that company was acquired, she moved on to a new role at a different startup—until the phone rang. One of her former coworkers was working in a leadership role at Walt Disney Imagineering, the research and development (R&D) arm of Disney’s theme parks, and he had a job opportunity for her—the head of technology commercialization at Disney Imagineering. There was a catch, though: The company had never hired anyone in that particular role, and he couldn’t promise her that it would last for more than three months.
“How many of you would take that job?” Tetro asked the audience, looking around the room. “I took that job, with all of its unknowns, because I knew that I was never getting a call from Disney again.”
Jumping at that opportunity propelled her career in a new direction, Tetro explains. She worked at Disney for nearly five years, leading teams to innovate new experiences for Disney Theme Parks. Her experience in R&D at Disney sparked an idea for a company that uses 3D printing to create figurines of customers as their favorite superhero. Without a single line of code written, but with confidence and a vision, Tetro pitched the idea to Disney’s Marvel product line, and 3DplusMe was born. “The next time you have an idea, and you think you should try something, start down the path,” she encouraged. “Opportunities don’t go to the most prepared, but the most willing to act.”
After navigating deals to get her company’s 3D printing platform into major retailers such as Target and Walmart, Tetro looked to expand 3DplusMe’s offerings into the sports world. She explained that she didn’t personally know anybody who worked at the NFL or MLB, but a professional relationship she had built from an earlier venture company helped her get a meeting—and a deal—with officials from both leagues. “What I can promise is that the relationships you build while you’re sitting here right now will open doors you can’t predict,” she said.
For students at BYU Marriott, Tetro shared, that means being the type of person who people can trust, “The way you show up today in those team projects and in those interactions will be remembered.”
Just as relationships have helped open doors for her, Tetro tries to open doors for those around her. She founded the Women Tech Council, a nonprofit organization focused on helping women pursue STEM careers. Tetro also lives by the “rule of one more,” where she tries to bring one person with her when she is invited to networking events and boardroom presentations. “When you have an opportunity to be in places where you can bring other people along, that is how you amplify influence,” she said. “Our influence won't be left in companies that we run. It will be left by the lives that we live and the people that we connect with."
Although Tetro’s children wondered how she was getting into rooms with sports leagues, Post Malone, and major companies, Tetro believes the more important question is what you do once you get into those rooms. “The room isn't the goal; it's ultimately the platform,” she said. “You're not doing things just because you're trying to get in the room. You're doing things because of what it enables—not just for you, but for the people around you.”