pronounced: “eye-dee-ahn”

Employee Spotlight: Tyler Henn

At Ideon, we’re proud to have such a talented, diverse team leading the charge for a better and more connected health insurance and employee benefits industry. Our ongoing Employee Spotlight series showcases the people behind our product and unveils what life is like at Ideon. Next up… Tyler Henn, our Quality Assurance Coordinator!

Name: Tyler Henn
Department: Data Ops
Title: Quality Assurance Coordinator!
Location: New York

Work

How long have you worked at Ideon?

Two and a half years.

Tell us about your day-to-day.

My day-to-day involves a lot of quality checks on our data — ensuring everything is the way it is supposed to be. I also work on automating our validation checks and coming up with new ideas to further improve our data accuracy.

How have you grown professionally while on our team?

This is my first full-time job, so I have grown quite a bit over the years. All of my co-workers at Ideon have helped to shape me with a focus on being professional and respectful of everyone I work with. They always push me to do better and come up with new ideas to further exceed our goals.

What excites you about the future of Ideon?

I am really excited about Ideon’s growth. Over the last two years I’ve been privileged to witness the company expand from 40 employees to over 100! Seeing that growth is motivating, inspiring, and it’s a big part of why I’ve enjoyed my time at Ideon.

What do you like about Ideon’s company culture?

I love the overall atmosphere of my team and the company as a whole. Everyone is super supportive and I think Ideon really pushes to make sure that our company culture is welcoming and enjoyable.

Life

Favorite activity when you’re not working? 

I love to play the board game Catan! And I have found a new obsession with Reality TV.

Favorite place you’ve traveled?

My favorite place I have traveled to would definitely have to be France.

Interesting fact about yourself… Go!

I can’t think of anything, so I am just going to go with the generic response –  I am left handed!

Employee Spotlight: John Emge

At Ideon, we’re proud to have such a talented, diverse team leading the charge for a better and more connected health insurance and employee benefits industry. Our ongoing Employee Spotlight series showcases the people behind our product and unveils what life is like at Ideon. Next up… John Emge, our SVP of Carrier Sales!

Name: John Emge
Department: Carrier Sales
Title: Senior Vice President of Carrier Sales
Location: South Carolina

Work

How long have you worked at Ideon?

I have been part of the Ideon team for one incredibly exciting year.

How have you grown professionally while on our team?

While I had been in the benefits technology industry for thirteen years prior to joining Ideon, I have grown in my understanding and appreciation of the various stakeholders in the benefits market (carriers, insurtechs, brokers, employers). I have learned that while they all acknowledge the need for improved data quality and data integrations in order to operate effectively and serve the members, each stakeholder has their own unique capacity and priorities.

My current focus is on actively listening to the market to understand how Ideon can best empower carriers and platforms at the crossroads of their data and business strategies. By doing so, we’ll drive meaningful and positive change in the industry.

What excites you about the future of Ideon?

We are helping solve problems in our industry — efficiently. When we meet with carriers and platforms, I clearly see our joint path ahead and our mutual desire to work to transform our industry through improved data management.

What do you like about Ideon’s company culture?

I really like our leadership — and I don’t just mean our executive team. Leadership is every member of the team who wakes up and approaches each day with an attitude of “how can I make a positive difference for our team today?” and “how can I contribute to supporting others in their objectives today?” “How can I help drive this company forward in our mission?” I consider myself very fortunate to work as part of a team in which this is the dominant mindset.

What attracted you to Ideon’s mission?

It’s simple: I believe that Ideon is going to help drive positive change with our partners. Benefits is an enormous industry, but what it is really about is families having the coverage they need, when they need it, for their health and financial protection. When they go to the hospital on that unexpected night, it needs to be there. For that to happen, all of the steps in the process must occur from quote, to card, to access, to claim. Whether that process functions correctly for that family is driven by data flow and data quality. Our industry has, for too long, accepted integration projects that take a year or more for point solutions and it has institutionalized post-impact data clean up or manual data entry that causes errors. We are helping to create a better way.

Life

Favorite activity when you’re not working? 

I love traveling, camping, and backpacking with my family.

Favorite place you’ve traveled?

Southern tip of Patagonia in Chile while backpacking. It is so remote and beautiful. It is rugged and peaceful at the same time. The people that we met on the trail were wonderful. They had all made a hard personal effort and choice to be there and that makes a difference in a lot of ways – and not just on the trail.

Interesting fact about yourself… Go!

I enjoy scuba diving and searching for megalodon teeth and fossils that are 3.6M to 20M+ years old. When I was a kid, I developed an early interest in archeology (King Tut was all the rage) so that and enjoying scuba diving is likely where it comes from.

Employee Spotlight: Meghna Misra

At Ideon, we’re proud to have such a talented, diverse team leading the charge for a better and more connected health insurance and employee benefits industry. Our ongoing Employee Spotlight series showcases the people behind our product and unveils what life is like at Ideon. Next up… Meghna Misra, our VP of Product!

Name: Meghna Mirsa
Department: Product
Title: Vice President of Product
Location: San Francisco Bay Area

Work

How long have you worked at Ideon?

A year and a half and I must say that every day has been challenging and exciting!

What attracted you to Ideon’s mission?

On the heels of Covid (or really, in the midst of it all), I wanted to build products that had a far-reaching impact on the health and well-being of our society as a whole. Ideon’s mission to transform the benefits experience for all was very compelling. The opportunity to facilitate an era of benefits selection that closely resembles an Amazon-like experience, where products are easy to understand and critical data flows freely throughout our ecosystem — it all was super exciting to me.

How have you grown professionally while on our team?

Not having an insurance or benefits industry background, the learning curve for the domain and market landscape has been steep for me. But I have been very fortunate to be surrounded by an amazing group of people who I continue to learn from and grow with.

What do you like about Ideon’s company culture?

For me, it is Ideon’s culture of empowerment and accountability where everyone is encouraged to do their best work. The work environment has changed post-COVID and we find ourselves largely working with remote teams. In this environment, communication, transparency, and a high do-say ratio has become even more critical and makes navigating remote work very easy.

As a product leader, what are some qualities that help create great products?

I believe that it’s a trifecta of qualities that enables someone to build products that drive maximum impact on the customer experience and business: insatiable curiosity, a problem-solving mindset, and relentless customer focus! Product leaders must have a fire in their belly to solve meaningful problems, ponder and question the status quo, and never lose sight of what matters most to customers.

Life

Favorite activity when you’re not working? 

Getting lost in a good book – there is no activity that I enjoy more than reading.

Favorite place you’ve traveled?

Hands down, Florence, Italy. Apart from the city’s culture, renaissance art and architecture, and amazing food, it has an energy that is alive yet relaxed, the air is buzzing with creativity, and there is beauty everywhere you look!

Interesting fact about yourself… Go!

I greatly enjoy skydiving and am looking forward to getting the USPA-A license (solo certification).

Employee Spotlight: Jacob Waters

At Ideon, we’re proud to have such a talented, diverse team leading the charge for a better and more connected health insurance and employee benefits industry. Our ongoing Employee Spotlight series showcases the people behind our product and unveils what life is like at Ideon. Next up… Jacob Waters, our Senior IT Support Specialist!

Name:Jacob Waters
Department: Business Operations
Title: Senior IT Support Specialist
Location: Colorado

Work

How long have you worked at Ideon?

In March, I will have worked at Ideon for one year. The time has flown by!

What projects are you excited to work on?

I am always excited to learn new ways of automating processes. In the next few months, IT will be tasked with implementing automatic software patching and management. This will help mitigate the need for direct interaction with IT and will be managed behind the scenes.

How have you grown professionally while on our team?

From a previous job, I participated in a HITRUST audit. However, I did not see the process in its entirety. During our recent HITRUST audit, I was able to be fully involved from start to finish. This has enabled me to add more skills to my toolbelt for future projects.

What attracted you to Ideon

The biggest thing that attracted me to Ideon was its people. Prior to being hired at Ideon, I spoke to a few employees that I knew at the company. Based on their experience and my interview, I knew that I was going to be surrounded by a good group of people. I enjoyed my previous job, but once I met with my Ideon teammates, I knew that this would be the best place for me. I could not be happier with my choice. The people, culture and ability to build knowledge without roadblocks is what makes this a special place.

What do you like about Ideon’s company culture?

Working at Ideon has been a refreshing experience. Right from the beginning I was able to develop great working relationships with my peers. Everyone is extremely knowledgeable and always willing to help out. Ideon’s culture allows us to develop solutions without constraints, helping us move forward in a timely manner.

Life

Favorite activity when you’re not working? 

In my free time I enjoy playing basketball with my friends, working on home improvements and landscaping. I also enjoy spending quality time with my family.

Favorite place you’ve traveled?

My favorite place to travel was Nassau in the Bahamas. The beaches looked exactly like a Corona beer commercial. I have an upcoming trip in March to go to Hawaii for the first time, which might bump the Nassau trip to No. 2 on my favs list. That is just a guess.

Interesting fact about yourself… Go!

My brother and I owned a gaming cyber cafe called Tazraz. We held several tournaments for Starcraft, Team Fortress Classic, and Counterstrike.

Employee Spotlight: Tori Osler

At Ideon, we’re proud to have such a talented, diverse team leading the charge for a better and more connected health insurance and employee benefits industry. Our ongoing Employee Spotlight series showcases the people behind our product and unveils what life is like at Ideon. Next up… Tori Osler, an Implementation Analyst on our Enrollment Operations team!

Name: Tori Osler
Department: Enrollment Operations
Title: Implementation Analyst
Location: Omaha, NE

Work

 

How long have you worked at Ideon?

8 months

What was your onboarding process like?

It was exciting and challenging to learn about the behind-the-scenes processing of insurance data. My background was primarily in human services, so I’d seen insurance, particularly health insurance, from a consumer point of view, but the tech side was totally new! I enjoy learning new things and Ideon was the perfect place to do so. I had an excellent trainer that taught me the mapping and configuration process right away, which has helped immensely as I’ve expanded my skills over the past several months.

Tell us about your day-to-day at Ideon.


I’ve learned a lot in just 8 months! I spend most of my day primarily focused on helping our partners resolve enrollment data errors and discrepancies. I’ve taken an active role in identifying and flagging urgent issues to members of our team, and collaborating with a cross-section of internal and external stakeholders, including brokers, carriers, technology platforms, and Ideon’s product, implementation, and engineering teams. 

What attracted you to Ideon’s mission?

I am drawn to the fact that Ideon helps individuals access their insurance, especially health insurance, through technology. Previously, individuals may have had to wait for months or longer to fix a small problem in the data that could easily lead to a big problem in their health and wellbeing. Having worked in human services, I have seen, for example, what an access-to-care issue can mean for people who rely on mental health medications for otherwise debilitating conditions. It’s not just an issue of not getting their medication for a day or a week; people lose jobs (and then their health insurance) and can have their life trajectory severely impacted by something as simple as an invalid piece of code sent to a carrier.

Those are the types of problems I think about during my day-to-day, when I’m solving urgent issues for members and working with our partners to prevent these types of issues from ever occurring.

What do you like about Ideon’s company culture?

Collaboration is encouraged, and curiosity is rewarded. My experience has been that if I have a question, I can reach out to just about anyone at Ideon and get help — from my manager, from a coworker in Enrollments, and even from our CTO!

Life

 

Favorite activity when you’re not working? 

I love spending time playing or relaxing with my Dalmation-Pit mix, GusGus!

Favorite place you’ve traveled?

Greece (Athens)- amazing historical sites, friendly people, friendly street dogs, and the islands are beautiful.

Interesting fact about yourself… Go!

I geek out over topics involving medicine and especially neuropsychology! The intersection of the physiology of the brain and body and how it impacts our behavior (and vice-versa) is fascinating to me.

Employee Spotlight: Ali Sarkis

At Ideon, we’re proud to have such a talented, diverse team leading the charge for a better and more connected health insurance and employee benefits industry. Our ongoing Employee Spotlight series showcases the people behind our product and unveils what life is like at Ideon. Next up… Ali Sarkis, Director of Engineering.

Name: Ali Sarkis
Department: Engineering
Title: Director of Engineering
Location: NYC

Work

How long have you worked at Ideon?

Over five and a half years.

Tell us about your day-to-day at Ideon.

Every day is different, and my schedule pivots depending on team and company priorities. Still, usually, my day starts with a handful of team stand-ups discussing current work and blockers.

Then I spend the rest of my day pairing with team members on their work, writing my own code, researching new technologies that would benefit the engineering department, and joining team and client meetings throughout the day.

How have you grown professionally while on our team?

I started at Ideon as a Senior Engineer, and since then, I have worn so many hats. I was interested in management, so I took the manager’s path instead of the IC (individual contributor) track.

I went from team lead, to engineering manager, to senior engineering manager, to now director of engineering. I grew with the team and because of the team. I learned new skills and sharpened others, like learning Ruby on Rails (coming from a .Net background), building and growing an effective engineering team, being agile and adaptable while keeping the team motivated, engaged, and efficient. The list goes on and on, and I still learn something new daily.

What excites you about the future of Ideon?

When I started at Ideon the engineering team was a team of four. I have seen the team grow to over 23 now and I am looking forward to growing the team even more. I’m also excited about continuing to build the pipes connecting the health insurance and employee benefits industry. Our products are going to change the industry.

What do you like about Ideon’s company culture?

I joined Ideon because of the people and I have stayed for this long because of them too. I love the collaborative culture that we have cultivated. I enjoy working in a fast-paced environment where it is ok to make mistakes, knowing that other team members are always happy to jump in to help.

Life

Favorite activity when you’re not working?

I love to cook, all cuisines but especially Middle Eastern and Italian.

Favorite place you’ve traveled?

Rome, Italy and Beruit, Lebanon are my two favorite cities in the world.

Beirut because it is as close to home as I can get, with great food, fantastic nightlife, and a lot of history.

Rome because it reminds me of Damascus, Syria, and obviously for the great food, outstanding museums, and historical sites. Notice a theme yet?

Interesting fact about yourself… Go!

I travel for food and museums, so instead of lists of places to see and things to do, I have spreadsheets of restaurants I want to try and museums to visit.

Interested in joining our team? Check out Ideon’s careers page.

Employee Spotlight: Jess Slabaugh

At Ideon, we’re proud to have such a talented, diverse team leading the charge for a better and more connected health insurance and employee benefits industry. Our ongoing Employee Spotlight series showcases the people behind our product and unveils what life is like at Ideon. Next up… Jess Slabaugh, Sales Director, InsurTech.

Name: Jess Slabaugh
Department: Sales
Title: Sales Director, Insurtech
Location: Knoxville, TN

Work

How long have you worked at Ideon?

Six months. I started in the Spring of 2022.

What was your onboarding process like?

Everyone was so welcoming and excited to see Ideon growing. Ideon is made up of so many collaborative individuals with deep industry knowledge and technical ability, which made my onboarding process extremely informative and valuable. I was able to meet all our department leaders and most of my peers and collaborate on strategy almost immediately.

What do you like most about your job as a Sales Director?

I’m really proud of the solution we put out in the market. Digital Transformation is not easy, but it is necessary, and I get to help companies think strategically about how they accomplish this every day.

What attracted you to Ideon’s mission?

Over the last decade, I’ve somehow become the person that my friends call to answer their insurance questions and help them with annual enrollment. Insurance is so complicated and I loved the idea of working for a company who wanted to simplify it.

What do you like about Ideon’s company culture?

Our employees are a mix of people with and without insurance backgrounds. The combination creates a perfect balance of understanding the industry challenges and pushing the boundaries on the status quo with modern technology.

Life

Favorite activity when you’re not working?

I’m a sucker for a DIY project!

Favorite place you’ve traveled?

Istanbul, Turkey or Dubrovnik, Croatia. It’s a tie!

Interesting fact about yourself… Go!

I like to renovate houses! I’m on house number 4 and have 2 rental properties in downtown Knoxville.

Interested in joining our team? Check out Ideon’s careers page.

Employee Spotlight: Zach Wallens

At Ideon, we’re proud to have such a talented, diverse team leading the charge for a better and more connected health insurance and employee benefits industry. Our ongoing Employee Spotlight series showcases the people behind our product and unveils what life is like at Ideon. Next up… Zach Wallens, our Director of Content & Communications.

Name: Zach Wallens
Department: Marketing
Title: Director of Content & Communications
Location: New York

Work

How long have you worked at Ideon?

Around 3.5 years — I started at Ideon in March, 2019.

Tell us about your day-to-day at Ideon.

Every day is different, as I’m involved in many different marketing functions. My responsibilities range from developing content—such as blog posts, webinars, customer interviews, and whitepapers—to drafting social media content and assisting with press strategy and customer-facing communications. Most of my projects require collaboration across several internal teams, and I also work closely with our external partners at a marketing agency.

How have you grown professionally while on our team?

Three things come to mind, and they’re connected: industry expertise, confidence, and opportunity. I joined Ideon having never worked in the health insurance and benefits industry. But over the past 3+ years, I’ve embraced the challenge of educating myself on the industry’s numerous stakeholders, their unique technical issues, and trends in this evolving, complex ecosystem.

Naturally, that acquired knowledge bred confidence. Having a deep understanding of our industry, from both a technical and business perspective, is empowering. It’s allowed me to confidently raise my hand and say, for example, “this message will resonate with our audience,” and “this customer has a powerful voice around industry trends… let’s feature them in upcoming content.” Gaining that underlying knowledge is really a building block—it’s a prerequisite for creativity and content ideation.

Lastly, as our marketing team has expanded from three people to around seven, I’ve had more resources, freedom, and support to experiment and develop outside-the-box ideas.

What attracted you to Ideon’s mission?

When I was seeking a new job, I had a few main requirements: I wanted to work at an early/mid-stage technology company that had massive growth potential and, if successful, would make a difference in people’s lives. Ideon checked those boxes. Health insurance and employee benefits impact almost every American’s physical, financial, and mental wellbeing—I was immediately drawn to solving challenges in this industry.

What excites you about the future of Ideon?

Our potential. If Ideon achieves its long-term goals, we will have fundamentally improved how millions of people buy, understand, and experience health insurance and other benefits.

What do you like about Ideon’s company culture?

Collaboration, knowledge sharing, and open-mindedness. I’m constantly working with various internal stakeholders across the organization to meet our collective goals. And as Ideon has grown—from 35 employees when I started in 2019 to now about 100—we’ve hired incredibly talented people with decades of benefits-industry experience. Those coworkers have been invaluable to me, transferring their wealth of knowledge and acting as sounding boards for my content ideas. We’re also a highly open-minded company, accepting and valuing new ideas and input from our entire team.

Interestingly, our internal culture matches what we ask of our industry: transparency, information sharing, openness, and collaboration.

Life

Favorite activity when you’re not working?

I play in several hockey leagues—roller hockey and ice hockey—and we have some truly fantastic team names, the NYC Puck Pigeons being my favorite. Additionally, I enjoy hiking, biking, traveling, and walking around NYC with absolutely no destination in mind.

Favorite place you’ve traveled?

Greece—incredible food, beautiful Islands, and overall a great experience. Domestically, I’ve really enjoyed visiting Colorado, in both the summer and winter. And one bonus mention: Quebec City is awesome—feels like Europe, but only a short flight from New York.

Interesting fact about yourself… Go!

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my wife and I ended up having FOUR different wedding dates. In the end, we got married in Sept. 2021, about 16 months after our original date.

Interested in joining our team? Check out Ideon’s careers page.

Employee Spotlight: Amy Ekart

At Ideon, we’re proud to have such a talented, diverse team leading the charge for a better and more connected health insurance and employee benefits industry. Our ongoing Employee Spotlight series showcases the people behind our product and unveils what life is like at Ideon. Next up… Amy Ekart, our Operations Support Representative.

Name: Amy Ekart
Department: Solutions Delivery
Title: Operations Support Representative
Location: Colorado

Work

How long have you worked at Ideon?

A little over four months — I started in April 2022. 

What was your onboarding process like?

Quick and easy. The People team was great at communicating the onboarding process before my first day, and once I started, I met other new members of the team who joined around the same time. It was nice to experience onboarding with a group of peers. 

Tell us about your day-to-day work as an Operations Support Representative.

My typical day centers around facilitating correspondence with carriers on data acquisition, support questions, and testing. But every day is different, as I support two separate teams: Data Operations and Carrier Relations.

How was the transition from working at a large carrier to joining an InsurTech like Ideon?

I worked in Small Group underwriting at a large insurance carrier before transitioning over. One of the biggest changes has been moving from an established corporation to a growing company, where we have more opportunities to solve problems through innovative solutions and processes. It’s exciting to be part of a company transforming the customer experience. 

What attracted you to Ideon’s mission?

It’s hard to make decisions about your health insurance and benefits. Having worked at a large insurance carrier before, I was drawn to Ideon’s mission of making the world of health insurance more transparent and consumer-friendly to help individuals make informed decisions. 

What do you like about Ideon’s company culture?

I like the collaborative and fast-paced environment, filled with a bunch of health insurance geeks who have extensive knowledge and understanding of the healthcare industry. And I could tell instantly that my new teammates are genuinely good people.

Life

Favorite activity when you’re not working? 

I live in Colorado, so it depends on the season! Skiing in the winter and hiking and camping in the summer. But I’m always trying out new craft breweries during all seasons. 

Favorite place you’ve traveled?

Iceland and Thailand. Iceland for the insane geography and Thailand for the culture (the food was tasty, too!). 

Interesting fact about yourself… Go!

I played softball in college and one year our NCAA Regional games in Arizona were broadcasted on ESPN.

Interested in joining our team? Check out Ideon’s careers page.

Employee Spotlight: Nadine Bal

At Ideon, we’re proud to have such a talented, diverse team leading the charge for a better and more connected health insurance and employee benefits industry. Our ongoing Employee Spotlight series showcases the people behind our product and unveils what life is like at Ideon. Next up… Nadine Bal, our Data Operations Analyst.

Name: Nadine Bal
Department: Data Operations
Title: Data Operations Analyst
Location: New York. NY

Work

How long have you worked at Ideon?

I was among the first few hires! It’ll be 7 years in January.

Tell us about your day-to-day at Ideon.

Like Ross and his couch I’m pivoting most of the time! (IYKYK.. If you don’t… Friends reference) My main responsibility is acquiring data from insurance carriers and public sources — it’s a collaborative role, working with various teams to get the job done. Additionally, I’m currently partnering with our product team on enhancing internal tooling for our data operations staff. It’s really interesting!

What attracted you to Ideon’s mission?

I liked the idea of transforming the confusing world of health insurance data into something consumers can actually understand. And the work is important, as it helps people make better decisions for themselves and their families.

What excites you about the future of Ideon?

The sky is the limit for Ideon. We have a great product and the right team to make the “what if we…?” and “could we…?” questions a reality.

How have you grown professionally while on our team?

When I first started at Ideon, we didn’t have the robust processes and structure that we have in place today. It’s been an incredible experience to develop those processes, and now, with a much larger team, seeing them really be utilized to create efficiencies and a better customer experience. I’ve learned that communication between colleagues and across departments is essential. And taking pride in what you do makes all the difference!

Life

Favorite activity when you’re not working?

Reading (I know, boring but true)! Harry Potter is still my favorite series to date.

Favorite place you’ve traveled?

Costa Rica. Friendly people, amazing food, and gorgeous waterfalls.

Interesting fact about yourself… Go!

I love a good true crime documentary or podcast. Sword and Scale is one of my favorite podcasts and Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father is an amazing documentary.

 

Interested in joining our team? Check out Ideon’s careers page.