SALT LAKE CITY – February 2, 2018 – MountainWest Capital Network (MWCN) today recognized Ryan Smith, co-founder and CEO of Qualtrics, as its 2018 Utah Entrepreneur of the Year. Each year, MWCN recognizes a Utah entrepreneur who has demonstrated outstanding achievement by building an industry-leading company, inspiring others to pursue their own entrepreneurial vision and giving back to the community.

“Ryan has guided Qualtrics from a basement startup to a multi-billion-dollar business that is one of the most successful and widely admired companies in the world,” said Drew Yergensen, president of MWCN. “His focus and determination drive Qualtrics’ products and company culture and have helped make them the leading name in experience management. We are thrilled to honor Ryan as the 2018 Entrepreneur of the Year.”

Ryan Smith co-founded Qualtrics — the leader in experience management — in 2002 with his dad, Scott, older brother, Jared, and college roommate, Stuart Orgill, in the basement of the family home in Provo. Qualtrics bootstrapped for 10 years prior to fundraising rounds in 2012, 2014 and 2017. Qualtrics is currently valued at over $2.5 billion. Now co-headquartered in Salt Lake City and Seattle, Qualtrics has over 8,500 enterprise customers worldwide, including more than 75 percent of the Fortune 100 and 99 of the top 100 U.S. business schools.

“I’m grateful to receive this award because of all it says about the incredible team we have at Qualtrics,” said Smith. “Building a company is a unique and amazing opportunity, but getting to do it while working with some of the best and most talented people I know makes it fun and unforgettable. We have over 1,600 employees in 12 offices across the world and this award is a reflection on the great work of every single person at Qualtrics.”

In addition to co-founding Qualtrics, Smith co-founded 5 For The Fight, the campaign to eradicate cancer by funding groundbreaking cancer research. In early 2017, Qualtrics announced that it would be sponsoring the jersey of the Utah Jazz. Rather than put the Qualtrics logo on the jersey, however, Qualtrics donated the patch to 5 For The Fight and announced a joint goal with the Jazz to raise $50M for cancer research.

Since its beginning in 1983, MWCN has continually recognized those committed to entrepreneurial success. Entrepreneur of the Year is a key feature of MWCN’s outreach to foster business relationships and recognize outstanding members of Utah’s business community.

Smith joins an exclusive club of successful entrepreneurs recognized by MWCN as Entrepreneur of the Year since 1983. Past honorees include Jeremy Andrus, Aaron Skonnard, Peter and Nicole Mouskondis, Tom Dickson, Todd Pedersen, Josh James, Peter Metcalf, Larry H. and Karen Gail Miller, Alan E. Hall, Amy Rees Anderson, Kirk Benson, Dr. Ted Stanley, Ken Wooley, Dr. Hunter Jackson, David Evans, Ray Noorda, Dale Ballard, Dr. Dinesh Patel, Gary Stevenson, Scott Watterson, David Bailey, Hyrum Smith, Jerry Atkin, Sid Green, Steve Aldous, Spencer Kirk, Dave Spafford and others.

About MountainWest Capital Network

MountainWest Capital Network is Utah’s first and largest business networking organization devoted to supporting entrepreneurial success, and dedicated to the flow of financial, entrepreneurial and intellectual capital. LIKE us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @MWCN and LinkedIn. www.mwcn.org

About Qualtrics

Qualtrics is a single system of record for all experience data, also called X-data™, allowing organizations to manage the four core experiences of business—customer, product, employee and brand experiences—on one platform. Over 8,500 enterprises worldwide, including more than 75 percent of the Fortune 100 and 99 of the top 100 U.S. business schools, rely on Qualtrics. To learn more, and for a free account, please visit www.qualtrics.com.