Wander, an Orem, Utah-based AI mapping platform, raised $1 million in an extension seed round led by Arieli Capital, with contributions from Rocky Woods Investments, the Joan and Tim Fenton Founders Fund, and the Triangle Tweener Fund.

Utah ranked as the best state in the U.S. in the 2024 Best States rankings by U.S. News & World Report, which evaluated states based on health care, education, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime & corrections, and natural environment.

Investment will allow Utah-based Farmstead Manufacturing to grow its facility from 1,000-square-feet to 5,000-square-feet, adding 25-30 jobs in the local community.

The U.S. News and World Report named Utah the best state overall in its latest rankings list.

Utah and Colorado had recently established first-in-the-nation offices of outdoor recreation, signaling that a robust outdoor economy was a statewide priority. The task force wanted Washington to do the same.

BY ART RAYMOND, DESERET NEWS — Texas Instruments’ newly refurbished microchip plant in Lehi is set to grow Utah’s economy, and reputation, in a myriad of ways

By Art Raymond in the Deseret News — What’s one measure of how high Utah’s business prospects have risn in the eyes of global investors? Two phone calls. That’s all it took for new Utah Jazz owner and Qualtrics co-founder Ryan Smith to round up financial partners to join him ahead of buying Utah’s beloved NBA franchise last October.