What does it take to build a successful company, challenge an entire industry, and keep going when everything seems to be working against you? Silicon Slopes CEO Clint Betts sits down with Mark Newman, founder of HireVue and co-founder and CEO of Nomi Health, for a candid Start School conversation about entrepreneurship, venture capital, leadership, and the realities of building companies that challenge the status quo. Mark shares how he started HireVue as a college project, spent 15 years building it into a global hiring platform, and learned some expensive lessons along the way. From raising venture capital during the 2008 financial crisis to losing significant ownership and control of his company, Mark opens up about the mistakes he made, what he would do differently, and why founders need to be just as intentional about choosing investors as they are about finding customers. He also shares the personal experience that inspired Nomi Health. After discovering he could save 30% on a hospital bill simply by paying upfront, Mark began questioning why healthcare costs were so complicated and why employers and patients had so little control. That experience eventually led him to launch Nomi Health with a mission to make healthcare more transparent, affordable, and accessible. Throughout the conversation, Mark doesn't hold back. He challenges Utah's venture capital ecosystem, questions the hype surrounding AI, discusses the enormous inefficiencies in American healthcare, and explains why he believes entrepreneurs need to be willing to confront problems that others have accepted as impossible to solve. The discussion also gets personal as Mark reflects on the sacrifices entrepreneurship demands, the pressure of leading a company, the importance of being honest about the struggles behind success, and why simply refusing to give up is often what separates successful founders from everyone else. Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction00:14 - Early memories and the founding of HireVue00:35 - Mark's background and entrepreneurial journey01:13 - The growth and sale of HireVue01:35 - The inception of Nomi Health06:40 - Challenges in the healthcare industry11:15 - Evolution of Nomi Health15:01 - Fundraising advice20:04 - Venture capital in Utah25:15 - Audience Q&A For entrepreneurs navigating fundraising, building teams, challenging established industries, or trying to create something meaningful, this Start School session offers an unfiltered look at what it really takes to build a company and keep it alive. Learn more about Start School and Silicon Slopes at siliconslopes.com.
