Silicon Slopes is bringing the Utah Regional Competition of Startup World Cup to StartFEST. Startup World Cup is the world's largest startup pitch competition, hosted by Pegasus Tech Ventures, with more than 100 regional events across six continents. Selected founders pitch live at StartFEST in front of investors and the crowd. The winner advances to the Grand Finale in San Francisco to compete for a $1,000,000 investment prize. This is Utah's entry into a global contest.

• 🔹The world's #1 startup pitch competition, in Utah. Hosted by Pegasus Tech Ventures across 100+ regions and six continents.

• 🔹A $1,000,000 prize. The regional winner advances to the Grand Finale in San Francisco.

• 🔹A live pitch at StartFEST. Selected founders pitch before investors and the StartFEST audience.

Dan Burton got involved with Health Catalyst when it was three people. Three. He helped build it into one of the most important healthcare data and analytics companies in the country, served as CEO, and took it public.

Before that, he co-founded HB Ventures, which became the first outside equity holder in Health Catalyst. Before that, he led the Corporate Strategy Group at Micron Technology. Before that, he spent eight years at Hewlett-Packard in strategy and marketing management. Before that, he was an associate consultant at the Boston Consulting Group advising healthcare systems and technology companies. He holds an MBA with high distinction from Harvard, where he was elected a George F. Baker Scholar, and a BS in economics magna cum laude from BYU.

Dan is sitting down with Start School to talk about what he's learned building a company from the earliest stage to the public markets. What it was like joining a three-person startup after working at HP, Micron, and BCG. How he thought about strategy at every phase of growth. What healthcare taught him about building something that actually matters. How he thinks about the transition from founder-mode to CEO of a public company. What stepping down looks like and what it teaches you. And what he'd tell someone who sees a problem worth solving and is trying to decide whether to go all in.

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.

June 11: Dan Burton

June 15: David Bradford

June 16: Arian Lewis

June 30: Ryan Gardner

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.

On June 8, join Neumont University's Chair of Applied Artificial Intelligence, Omkar Terse, for a info session on how Neumont is preparing students for careers in AI through its Bachelor’s degrees in Applied Artificial Intelligence and AI Engineering, as well as its Master’s degree in Applied Artificial Intelligence.

The conversation will cover Neumont’s hands-on, project-based approach to AI education, emerging career opportunities in the field, and scholarship opportunities available through Neumont’s partnership with Silicon Slopes and Tech Buzz Media.

In this Silicon Slopes AI Lunch & Learn, Daz CEO James Thornton shares how professionals can use AI to think faster, execute better, and create greater leverage in both work and life. By combining Artificial Intelligence with human experience, judgment, and creativity — what James calls “Authentic Intelligence” — AI becomes more than automation. It becomes a professional advantage.

In this episode of Go-To-Market, host Amy Osmond Cook sits down with Mike Woodruff, Executive Medical Director at Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah, to discuss one of the most complex challenges facing entrepreneurs, healthcare leaders, and policymakers today: how to make healthcare more affordable, accessible, and effective for patients.

Drawing on more than two decades as an emergency physician and healthcare leader, Mike shares a candid look at the realities behind America's healthcare system, why many common assumptions about health insurance are inaccurate, and where innovators should focus their efforts if they want to create meaningful change.

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 Mental Health Momentum, licensed psychologist Dr. David Morgan sits down with entrepreneur, author, podcast host, and men's mental health advocate Tyson Allred.

Known as the founder of Copper Johns Beard Company and co-host of the Dad Bods and Beards podcast, Tyson shares his story about battling silent struggles while trying to be the "strong one" for his family. 

After his daughter experienced a mental health crisis and multiple suicide attempts, Tyson was forced to confront his own emotional pain, seek therapy, and redefine what strength truly means.

Together, Dr. Morgan and Tyson discuss the realities of men's mental health, the dangers of emotional suppression, fatherhood, suicide prevention, therapy, hormone health, and the life-changing impact of vulnerability. 

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!