Three conferences scheduled for next week will examine various aspects of creating, financing, and sustaining successful Utah businesses, according to a November 5 report. The events, held in Salt Lake City and Orem, will focus on topics such as business growth, life sciences, and technology capital.
On Tuesday, November 10, 2026, Utah Business will host its fourth annual FORWARD conference at the Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek. The event will include a discussion titled "How Much Growth Can Utah Sustain?" featuring Ryan Dalling of Geneva Rock Products, Lisa Romney of Rocky Mountain Power, and Jamie Barnes of the Utah Department of Natural Resources. The session will be led by Brigham Tomco and will consider how land, electricity, water, construction capacity, and regulatory approvals impact business investments.
On Wednesday, November 11, 2026, BioUtah will host the Utah Life Sciences Summit at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center. The program includes a town hall with Michelle Tarver, director of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and a Veterans Day tribute by retired U.S. Congressman Chris Stewart. Other scheduled discussions include mergers and acquisitions featuring David Bearss of Halia Therapeutics, Sunny Sanyal of Varex Imaging, Rick Randall of Scientia Vascular, and Shingo Ono of MC Dental Holdings America (Ultradent).
The Nucleus Institute will stage n^Boost on Friday, November 13, 2026, at Utah Valley University's Scott C. Keller Business Building in Orem. This event will convene founders, investors, and operators to discuss the path to building successful companies. Scheduled speakers include Paul Gu, co-founder and chief executive officer of Upstart Holdings, and Steven Nicholson, co-founder and chairman of Kelso Industries. The session will also include a conversation regarding venture capital featuring Kat Kennedy of Kickstart, Eric Hilton of Sorenson Capital, and PT Ungvichian of Run Ventures.
The conferences address economic drivers in Utah, where the 2026 Economic Report to the Governor noted 1,581 life sciences establishments and nearly 40,000 direct employee jobs. The Nucleus Institute, a state-created nonprofit, also manages the Nucleus Fund, a $40 million state-backed investment fund for Utah deep-technology companies.
Other local gatherings include The Salt Collection on Thursday, November 5, 2026, at The Vault in Salt Lake City, and Breakfast Palooza on Friday, November 6, 2026, at The Garden Place at Heritage Park in Salt Lake City.
