Arian Lewis was told in ninth grade that he probably shouldn't plan on going to college.
He had ADHD, dyslexia, and struggled academically. Instead of letting that define him, he learned something that would shape the rest of his career. If he couldn't outsmart everyone, he could outwork them.
That mindset took him from a scholarship at BYU to an MBA at Oxford, building one of the world's largest fintech accelerators for Barclays, and eventually co-founding Kiln, one of the fastest-growing premium flex office brands in the country.
In this Start School conversation, Kiln Co-founder Arian Lewis joins Silicon Slopes CEO Clint Betts to discuss entrepreneurship, scaling a hospitality business, building community, and why AI is reshaping the future of work.
They discuss:
• Why Utah has become one of the best places in America to build a startup
• The lessons Arian learned building global fintech accelerators at Barclays
• How Kiln differentiated itself from WeWork
• Why unit economics matter more than company valuation
• What companies are really looking for in the post-COVID workplace
• How AI will change hiring, careers, and entrepreneurship
• Why adaptability and resilience are becoming the most valuable workplace skills
• The biggest challenges of scaling a company across multiple cities
• How founders can build cultures that encourage ownership and feedback
• What Utah needs to become a world-class technology ecosystem
Whether you're building your first startup, scaling an existing business, or trying to understand where work is headed in the AI era, Arian shares practical insights on leadership, community, and building companies that last.
00:00 Introduction
02:00 Arian's journey from struggling student to entrepreneur
06:00 Building a global fintech accelerator at Barclays
11:15 Why Utah is built for entrepreneurship
15:00 Leaving Barclays to start Kiln
20:00 How Kiln differentiated itself from WeWork
25:00 The future of office space after COVID
30:00 AI, resilience, and the future of work
34:15 Scaling company culture and leading teams
37:00 What Utah needs to become a world-class tech ecosystem
39:00 Closing remarks
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