- Europe becomes the third continent where business founders from several nations can enroll in the University of Utah's Master of Business Creation (MBC) program.
- Expanding the MBC program was made possible through the support of the Lassonde Family Foundation.
- The university's MBC program has been called an "entrepreneur finishing school."
From its headquarters in Salt Lake City, the University of Utah’s Master of Business Creation program already operates from eastern Canada to Ghana and several other African nations.
Now the program, which is sponsored by the school’s David Eccles School of Business, is expanding into Europe.
Starting August 2026, the University of Utah’s MBC will be available to graduate students in Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
“The continued expansion of the MBC program around the world shows the success of our model to become the world’s best business accelerator-plus graduate degree for serious entrepreneurs, creating a thriving global community of MBC entrepreneurs,” said Jeff Davis, director of the MBC program and a professor in the Department of Marketing at the Eccles School, in a university release.
“I am thrilled to bring the program to Europe with our partners in Luxembourg after the successful launch of the global program in Africa.”
The expansion to Europe follows the 2024 launch of the MBC Global option. The international option was first offered in Africa (Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa) and has since expanded to Canada (Ontario) and now Europe.
The MBC is offered in partnership between the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy and Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the Eccles School.
The MBC’s expansion to Europe is a partnership with Aureus Ars & Scientia, a philanthropic organization that fosters education, arts and science.
“We look forward to enrolling founders in our region into the Master of Business Creation, one of the most unique and valuable degree programs for entrepreneurs anywhere in the world,” said Aureus Ars & Scientia Chairman Olivier Van Regemortel.
Business founders across eligible European countries are invited to apply for the MBC programs, and admissions and scholarships are expected to be competitive.
Pierre Lassonde: A Utah alum turned pivotal benefactor
Launching the University of Utah’s MBC program to Europe was reportedly made possible through the continued support of the Lassonde Family Foundation.
Last May, the family foundation, led by Pierre Lassonde, donated $25 million to foster continued growth at the University of Utah’s Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute.
Prior to that gift, the Lassonde Family Foundation had already donated about $25 million to the university in the past.
Pierre Lassonde and his late wife, Claudette, are both University of Utah alums.
When asked by the Deseret News why his family foundation has continued its support of the University of Utah’s Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, Pierre Lassonde noted that he has been involved in philanthropic enterprises at several universities and institutions.
“But the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is the one that has given me the most joy, by far,” he said.
After graduating from the University of Utah, Pierre Lassonde embarked on his own business career, working in construction and mining before launching the Franco-Nevada Mining Corporation, which would ultimately become a multibillion-dollar business success story.
Lassonde’s financial support of entrepreneurship education at the University of Utah began in 2001 and has continued ever since — highlighted by the construction, about a decade ago, of the sprawling Lassonde Studios.
The studios are home to hundreds of residential students and boast a 20,000-square-foot innovation space where student-entrepreneurs can connect, test ideas, build prototypes and launch companies.
Today’s Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is fueled by a Pierre Lassonde-inspired creed: “Live. Create. Launch.”
Giving business founders a boost
The MBC program was first introduced in 2019 as a first-of-kind program, and hundreds of founders have enrolled in the program since then.
Highlights of the MBC program — which is part of the university’s entrepreneurship program, ranked among the top 10 in the nation — include one-on-one mentorship with veteran entrepreneurs from the community, an evolving curriculum and a community of fellow student-founders that doubles as a remedy for the often lonely world of starting a business.
Participants also become part of a growing, international network of MBC alumni, founders, faculty and mentors.
The MBC Global program is offered online, and founders join a cohort with other entrepreneurs from their region in the one-year program.
MBC professor Paul Brown has called the program an “entrepreneur finishing school.”
“It’s really practical entrepreneurship at an operationally sophisticated level for people who have companies and want to build and grow them,” he told the Deseret News in April.
Most of the graduate students enrolled in the university’s MBC program are already operating real-world businesses. They just want a boost to build and grow. “That’s what’s special about this program, in terms of a value proposition,” said Brown. “You get a top-ranked master’s degree. It’s high value. It’s very affordable. And it’s very practical.
“We’re not doing a bunch of cases like you would to get an MBA. We’re actually making your business the case.”
Founders in the MBC Global program can apply now to enroll starting in August 2026.
All candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, because space is limited. The price for the program is the same in all locations and designed to be very affordable and a high-value investment in founders and their companies so they can put most of the time and resources into their business, according to the university.