Utah Startup Marketplace Brings Budding Business to BYU

PROVO, Utah – Feb 25, 2014 – The hottest startups from around the state set up at Brigham Young University’s Utah Startup Marketplace this semester to find the newest talent for their companies.

“This career fair is different because in almost all cases students are not speaking to a recruiter,” says Jeff Brown, assistant director for the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology. “They are speaking to top people in the company who make decisions.”

In an effort to support entrepreneurship on the Wasatch front, the Rollins Center has brought this one of a kind career fair to the university for the sixth time. Only Utah-based companies that started less than five years ago and bring in revenue up to $5 million were invited to the event. The 33 companies in attendance brought a variety of business, including solar panel distributors, social media analytics and others.

Startups are known for quality work environments, passion for their product and quick access to upper management, but for students like Ethan Shipp, a business strategy junior from McCammon, Idaho, this fair was a chance to access new and exciting opportunities.

“I came today looking for a summer internship because the entrepreneurial side of business attracts me,” Shipp says. “I’ve seen a lot of different companies and business ideas that are all very appealing.”

The Utah Startup Marketplace brought in more than 500 BYU students, giving companies plenty of interaction with potential employees throughout the day. Jared Richards, COO of Jamberry, a fashion fingernail wrap company, was impressed by the quality of students.

“We have had a great experience with the BYU graduates and students who are with our company already,” Richards says. “Everyone at BYU has been very professional. This school has students of a great caliber.”

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, public management, information systems, and entrepreneurship. 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.