John Koelliker built Leland because he understood something most people learn the hard way: the difference between reaching your most ambitious goals and falling short often comes down to whether you have the right people helping you get there.

Leland is a platform that has helped millions of people reach their biggest goals, whether that's getting into a top MBA program, landing a role at a leading company, or figuring out how to build something of their own. The company has raised $20 million from top investors including Forerunner and GSV, and John was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2022.

John is sitting down with Start School to talk about what he's learned building a company that lives at the intersection of ambition and action. What he took from his time in product at Uber and LinkedIn. How he thinks about raising venture capital and what he learned raising $20 million. What building a company in Lehi looks like compared to the Bay Area. How he thinks about helping people reach goals they're not sure they can reach. And what he'd tell someone who knows they want to build something but hasn't started yet.

He'll take your questions. He'll give you real answers. No fluff. If you're building something, thinking about building something, or trying to figure out what comes next, this is the room you want to be in.

This ain't your average meet and greet. It's a boots on the ground experience designed to test your instincts, strengthen your resolve, and connect you with others cut from the same cloth all in support of a cause built for the next generation of Utah founders.

​Riding for a Reason: Start School

​Every dollar raised at this event fuels Start School Entrepreneurship for the 99%, a free program from Silicon Slopes.

​🔹 What's on the Trail:

• ​Helicopter Rides — rise above the dust and take in a higher view of the frontier.

• ​Trap Shooting Showdown — steady your aim, trust your instincts, and compete for bragging rights.

• ​Breakfast — hearty, chef-crafted meals shared with fellow trailblazers.

• ​Swag & Spoils — premium gear and recognition for those who come out on top.

Claim your spot. Ride with the right circle. Lead from the front and lift the next wave with you.

Most startup events are built for the one percent. The venture-backed. The ones chasing a 10x return for someone else's fund. The ones who measure success by how much money they raised instead of how much they built.

StartFEST is for everyone else. The solo founder. The bootstrapper. The person who wants to build a profitable business that supports their family. The company that grows slowly, treats its people well, and is still standing in twenty years. The best businesses rarely make the headlines. Start School is built for founders who know the difference.

More than 400 companies are now part of Start School. No tuition. No equity. No hidden agenda.

It's a free entrepreneurship program from Silicon Slopes, built in partnership with Mountain America Credit Union. Every dollar from StartFEST goes back into it. When you buy a ticket, you are paying for the next founder who shows up wanting to build something real.

Start School takes self-leadership seriously because the founders who last almost always do. It's the track you won't find at any other startup event, and it's the reason Start School exists in the form it does.

In this episode of the Go-To-Market Podcast, host Amy Osmond Cook sits down with Sreedhar Peddineni to discuss the evolution of SaaS, the birth of Customer Success, the rise of AI-powered enablement, and why the next generation of software companies must move beyond simple LLM wrappers to deliver real business outcomes.

Sreedhar shares the inside story behind founding Host Analytics during the earliest days of SaaS, helping launch Gainsight before most companies even had a Customer Success department, and building GTM Buddy to solve one of the most overlooked challenges in modern revenue organizations: helping sellers find the right answers, content, and context at exactly the right moment.

The 2026 Sports Tourism Symposium will take place on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, from 9:00 am - 2:30 pm, hosted by Miller Sports + Entertainment at America First Field (9256 S State St, Sandy, UT 84070). Stick around after the Symposium for a special experience as we host an England vs. Croatia FIFA World Cup watch party to keep the energy going!

America First Field is home to Real Salt Lake (MLS) and Utah Royals FC (NWSL). The venue has become iconic, hosting major events like U.S. national team games, World Cup qualifiers, the 2009 MLS All-Star Game, the 2013 Gold Cup, and even the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup.

The Sports Tourism Symposium brings together municipalities, event organizers, and hospitality partners from across the industry to share ideas, explore trends, and collaborate on strategies that make our communities stronger through sports.

In this episode of the Mental Health Momentum Podcast, host Dr. David Morgan sits down with Charlynn Shields to discuss caregiving, addiction, suicide loss, grief, and the long journey toward healing.

Charlynn shares how growing up in a small rural community shaped her early understanding of mental health, where struggles were often hidden instead of discussed. She opens up about losing her ex-husband to suicide after years of supporting him through addiction and mental health challenges, and the emotional aftermath that followed, including guilt, isolation, and learning that someone else’s mental health crisis is not your fault.

Her work today at the Huntsman Mental Health Foundation is rooted in one mission: making mental health more visible, approachable, and supported for everyone.

Silicon Slopes Dinner Club gathers Utah's founders, builders, and creators for authentic conversations over dinner.

These aren't networking events — they're real connections. The kind where ideas spark, partnerships form, and you leave with genuine relationships, not just business cards. No pitches. No agendas. Just founders breaking bread, sharing wisdom, and embodying what makes our community special: we give more than we take, and we rise together.

Because the best connections happen when you put down your phone and lean in.

The next dinner is Wednesday, May 20!

Utah's technology community has needed this for a while. On September 11, 2026, it arrives.

STACKED Summit is Utah's premier event on AI, cybersecurity, SaaS, and data analytics. The inaugural summit takes place at Salt Lake Community College, and we built it for the people closest to the work: the builders, operators, engineers, and executives who are navigating the most consequential shifts in the industry right now.

Not networking for the sake of it. Not panels that go nowhere. Real sessions, real practitioners, and real conversations about the problems worth solving.

Six tracks. One room. Everything that matters in Utah tech right now: AI, Cybersecurity, Data, Systems, Builders, and SaaS.

Hundreds of founders, engineers, operators, and executives will be there. The first STACKED Summit is the one people will say they didn't want to miss. We'd like to make sure they don't.

Tickets are now available. Sponsorship opportunities are open. We are accepting speaker proposals.

Be part of the first one.

September 11, 2026. Salt Lake Community College.

Partner with Silicon Slopes, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and amplify your impact across Utah's most dynamic tech ecosystem. Here, tax-deductible giving meets tangible ROI, innovation meets influence, and your brand connects with the builders shaping tomorrow.

Shape the Future of Silicon Slopes!