Undergraduate students from Utah Valley University—Eli Holdaway (CEO), Michael Holmes (COO), and Boston Egan (CTO)—have embarked on an entrepreneurial journey with their new startup, Ember. The Ember team has been receiving hands-on expertise and guidance through an innovative framework as part of the Sandbox program.

Sandbox originated as an experiment at Brigham Young University in 2020. After coordinating with the university’s top academic programs and gaining widespread popularity, especially its highly attended Demo Day, the Sandbox program established a fresh and new model for creating startups. As a result, other universities in the state urged Sandbox to expand its program program. In April 2024, Chris Crittenden, Co-founder of Sandbox, announced at 2024 Demo Day announced that the program will be expanded to include three additional Utah higher education institutions—Utah State University, Utah Tech University, and Utah Valley University—as reported by TechBuzz. The expansion aims to provide entrepreneurial opportunities for more Utah students like Holmes, Holdaway, and Egan. 

Not only does the program offer students experience for starting a business but also contributes 18 credits toward their graduation tracks. This unique blend of entrepreneurship and education enhances the academic experience and prepares students for entering the market and/or joining the workforce. 

According to the Sandbox website, their companies are valued at $95M collectively and previous participants of Sandbox who do not continue with their startups make 25% more in starting salary compared to non-sandbox graduates. 

Eli Holdaway, CEO, Ember

One of the two inaugural Sandbox startups at UVU, Ember seeks to build a profitable business ready for the market. Originally, they had planned to start a business centered in sales operations management. However, after researching and gaining insights from CEO of Teton Sports, Scott Holmes, the team changed their focus from sales ops to PIM software. Michael Holmes, COO of Ember, elaborated on their conversation with Teton Sports CEO. He mentioned some of the problems and difficulties Teton Sports was tackling regarding communication and data management. In response, Michael Holmes told TechBuzz News, “That’s when we did our pivot, flipped our idea to the PIM software, and since then, that’s what we’ve been working on and visiting businesses and talking to other entrepreneurs and CEOs to validate our idea.” 

Michael Holmes, COO, Ember

Building on this momentum, Ember’s company centers around PIM (Product Information Management) software aimed to have a user-friendly interface, unlike other PIM, according to the founders. They say other PIM software involve a steeper learning curve, making PIM software accessible to older, less tech-savvy users. Ember's founders aim to price the software at a point that would be attractive to mid-market companies.

The Ember team noted how their experience with Sandbox through the past few months has been instrumental in structuring their business. Boston Egan, the company's CTO, said, “From an education standpoint, it's just been the way we’ve been able to see that the best way to learn is by doing. I think that each of us is actually getting out in the field and doing things that are useful.”

Boston Egan, CTO, Ember

Sandbox teams collaborate in a global classroom involving leading founders and experts. Personal mentorship throughout the process ensures that Ember receives valuable guidance. The Ember team has received mentorship from the following:

  • Roy Banks, CEO of Weave (software company that engages customers with businesses in an All-in one communication platform)
  • Marc Chenn, founder of SaltStack (Python-based software company that maintains and secures digital infrastructure for businesses; see September 2020 TechBuzz article about its acquisition by VMWare)
  • Scott Holmes, CEO and Co-Founder of Teton Sports (Camping-focused company that offers outdoor equipment) 
  • Reuben Holdaway, Associate at Convoi Ventures (Pre-seed venture capital firm which centers on investment management for Utah-based companies) and brother to Eli Holdaway, Ember's Co-founder and CEO. See August 2023 TechBuzz Investor Mindset article featuring Reuben Holdaway.

Ember expressed that these mentors have helped them navigate the early stages of their business, provided valuable insights into their industry and helped them prepare their MVP to the point that the company has already been sharing it with customer candidates.

The team will continue collaborating with these mentors over the course of two semesters to refine their product and build their business. The UVU TechBuzz intern team will continue to track and report on Ember's progress over the next few months. Stay tuned!

See full interview of the Ember team produced by the UVU TechBuzz team:

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