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.
The Miller Grants, initially funded by an endowment from Larry and Gail Miller, provide financial support for student entrepreneurs in two different categories: validation grants, which give students several hundred dollars to design experiments and test ideas and assumptions, and traction grants, which offer up to $27,000 in incremental funding to turn the idea into a business.
These grants are structured to support BYU students who want to try a hands-on approach to learning about entrepreneurship. “Our student founders don’t fit any one mold. They come from diverse majors and backgrounds, and a lot of them would never have identified as entrepreneurs,” says Greta Ballif, the center’s communications and marketing manager. She cites the example of a student who was running a profitable menstrual cup company but didn’t realize that the grants or the center resources were available to her as a non-entrepreneurship student.
Andrew Gartz, the center’s program manager, explains that the goal of the grants is to get student businesses to one of two places: “Either they become a self-sustaining business or they become investor ready.” In 2024, the Rollins Center awarded 328 grants, totaling more than $600,000 distributed to 40-plus student businesses. What’s more, Mike Hendron, director of the Rollins Center, notes that thanks to additional support from donors, the supply of grant funds is still greater than the requests. He explains that as long as students meet the grant criteria, the Rollins Center is likely able to award funding. And if students don’t meet the requirements, they can always reapply in the next grant cycle.
“My favorite part of working with these grants is watching students learn how to start a business,” Gartz describes. “Having a good idea is one thing, but figuring out how to turn that idea into a business is an entirely different thing.”
While the financial funding is an important aspect of the Miller Grants, the carefully structured grant system isn’t just about distributing extra dollars. The grants also help students connect to an extensive support and mentoring network. “Between everybody who works at the Rollins Center and the network of people that we’re connected to, we can find somebody to help,” Gartz says, no matter the industry. Ballif adds that the grants dramatically increase the speed of student learning by providing a safe space to fail and make connections.
Sophie Burt, a pre-business student from Lehi, Utah, agrees that the grants provide a helpful safety net for experimentation. She and her twin sister, Sage, started their two-in-one pillow and blanket company, Boppies, in February 2025 and recently received their first traction grant. Burt says that the application process was simple and has been critical in mustering the capital needed for materials and prototyping, as well as managing the risks of starting a business as a low-income college student.
“Having people who believe in us and the product already gives us more confidence to actually pursue what we want to do without having to worry about financial standings,” Burt says. She and her sister are preparing to release their product later this year.
The structure of grant distribution also helps students develop a strong foundational product while providing order and accountability for sustained future growth. “Everything is designed and calculated to help these students learn and develop as entrepreneurs,” Ballif explains.
Kase Haas, a native of Pleasant Grove, Utah, and a recent neuroscience graduate, is a cofounder of Rheol, a company aiming to engineer a high-protein cheese by experimenting with dairy manipulation and ultra-filtered milk. Haas emphasizes that the grant process has been instrumental in helping his company develop a realistic and in-depth business strategy, including clearly identifying a customer base and emphasizing continual product refinement as an important foundation for strategic expansion. The company is now using the grant funding to reach out to Utah cheesemakers.
Haas says this stage is just the beginning for his company—and that the center knows it’s only one stop along the way: “Besides giving you the money, the Rollins Center really gives you guidance and feedback. They help you build a strong foundation so that when you graduate, you are really set up for success.”
Jeff Brown, the center’s program director, has seen how the grants have benefitted many student startups. “In my 18-plus years at the Rollins Center, the Miller Grants program has been our most impactful initiative,” Brown says. “Shifting from competitions to grants has transformed how we support students—rewarding validation and traction, and allowing them to access funding when they need it.”
Aeraflow is one example of a student company that has worked through the entire $27,000 grant process. The company is developing a collapsible asthma spacer, which makes the traditional inhaler attachment less bulky and more practical for travel. Matt Petersen, the company CEO and a BYU Marriott alum who graduated in entrepreneurial management in 2023, says that during his time as a student, Aeraflow continued applying for more grants after each milestone and received funding as the team explained their progress, new goals, and needs. “As long as you can give a convincing pitch, and you can say, ‘I’ve done my homework, and there is solid validation behind this product, and I have the resources to make it move with help,’ they’re all for supporting their students and helping them,” he explains.
As Aeraflow prepares to acquire investors and complete FDA testing, Peterson reflects on his time working with the Rollins Center. He says, “We never would have been able to get this far on our own without the Miller Grant resources.”
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Written by Katie Brimhall