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USU Business Programs Gets Big Donations

Utah State University recently received two large donations allowing it to further expand its business offerings to students and entrepreneurs.

Marc and Debbie Bingham donated $15 million to USU's Vernal Uintah Basin campus for an Entrepreneurship and Energy Resource Center.

Founder of the Huntsman Corp., Jon M. Huntsman Sr., donated $26 million to USU's School of Business including $1 million earmarked for a scholarship program. Dean of USU's Business School Douglas Anderson said the remaining $25 million will be used for various programs designed to foster entrepreneurship and educate business students. The business school at USU's main Logan campus will be renamed the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. To date, the Huntsman family has donated more than $300 million to education purposes.

 

SimpleStartup.com Helps Moms Become Entrepreneurs

Utah-based SimpleStartup.com is a Web site designed to give stay-at-home moms who want to earn a little extra money all the tools they need to get started.

SimpleStartup gives moms an e-commerce Web site, a simplified customer database, financial reports that are easy to understand, and the ability to easily manage orders, returns and taxes. Moms can choose from one of eight businesses: Selling homemade crafts, freelance writing, home hair and beauty salon, daycare, gift baskets, teaching lessons, catering and selling art work.

In addition to providing all the back-end tools needed to operate a business, SimpleStartup.com also gives its members the chance to join a community of other moms to get advice and encouragement through community interaction.

SimpleStartup provides easy to set up and use tools allowing individuals with little technical or business knowledge to be up and running in as little as 10 minutes.

The basic SimpleStartup package is free with various additional packages available for up to $29.95 per month including unlimited e-commerce transactions.

 

Obeo Launches HomeSite

Salt Lake City-based online real estate marketing provider Obeo (www.obeo.com) has launched HomeSite, a next-generation online marketing tool that allows real estate buyers to make significant virtual changes to a home's appearance through the listing itself.

HomeSite provides the listing agent with a dynamic and interactive, property-listing marketing solution that features a high-definition, full- screen viewer plus the functionality of SpaceDesigner, a floor plan with drop-and-drag capabilities; and the consumer-engaging StyleDesigner, which allows buyers to virtually remodel the home to their heart's content. Online consumers can literally sit back and enjoy a property tour in a full-screen theater experience.

 

Wasatch Venture Fund Changes Name to EPIC Ventures

In an effort to reflect its evolution from a local Utah firm to a growing regional and national fund, Wasatch Venture Fund has changed its name to EPIC Ventures (www.epicvc.com).

The new name reflects the firm's growth from a primarily local, Utah-centric firm when it was founded by Zions Bank in 1994 to a growing regional fund with an expanding investment footprint. Since its inception, more than 90 companies throughout the United States have received venture investment capital from Wasatch Venture Fund. EPIC Ventures will continue to maintain offices in Utah, New Mexico and Idaho and its substantial national network of industry contacts and investment partners. Zions Bank, which invested in each of the previous Wasatch funds, will retain its close working relationship with EPIC Ventures, including its commitment as a major investor.

 

Invented in Utah

The first annual Invented in Utah competition is accepting applications through Jan. 5, 2008. The field will be narrowed to three finalists which will present their inventions at the Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum (UVEF) on Feb. 14, 2008. The finalists will be awarded $10,000 in product development services. All inventions, including conceptual, will be accepted. For more information, visit: www.inventedinutah.com.

 

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Launch - Winter 2007

 

 

For the full "digital magazine" version of Winter 2007, visit: www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/growutah/launch_2007winter