Startup Physicians

Alison Curfman, M.D.
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  • Entrepreneurship
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StartUp Physicians is the podcast for doctors who dare to think beyond the clinic and hospital walls. Hosted by Dr. Alison Curfman, a practicing pediatric emergency physician and successful healthcare startup founder, this series empowers physicians to explore dynamic career opportunities in the healthcare startup world. Dr. Alison Curfman brings a wealth of experience to the mic, having founded and grown a healthcare company that served over 25,000 patients and achieved a nine-figure valuation in just two years. She has worked as a consultant, advisor, and chief medical officer, helping early-stage companies secure major funding and develop innovative clinical models. Now, she’s passionate about sharing the lessons she’s learned to help other physicians thrive in the startup space. Whether you’re looking to launch your own venture, become a consultant, or join a forward-thinking healthcare team, this podcast is your go-to guide. Each episode is packed with actionable advice on topics like personal branding, creating marketable services, and navigating the startup landscape. You’ll also hear from trailblazing physicians and industry leaders in private equity and venture capital, sharing their insights on why physician voices are essential in shaping the future of healthcare. If you’re ready to make a meaningful impact and build a career that excites and inspires you, StartUp Physicians will show you the way. New episodes drop every Wednesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen. Visit StartupPhysicians.com for resources, transcripts, and to connect with a community of like-minded doctors. It’s time to reimagine what’s possible for your career—and for healthcare.

  1. 7 hr ago

    The Physicians-To-Founder Mindset Shift with the Incubator Coaches

    Building a startup requires more than learning how to pitch, raise capital, or develop a product. For physicians, it can also require a fundamental shift in how you think, lead, learn, and see yourself. In this episode of the Startup Physicians Podcast, Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with Startup Physicians Incubator coaches Ian Maxwell, Amanda Fornal, and Marta Milkowska to talk about the transformation that happens when a physician becomes a founder. They discuss why habits that serve physicians well in medicine, including perfectionism, working until the job is done, and avoiding mistakes, can sometimes become obstacles in entrepreneurship. And explore coachability, learning to seek feedback, recognizing the leadership skills physicians already have, and becoming comfortable with growth, revenue, and building a sustainable business. If you are building a company or even considering becoming a physician founder, this conversation offers a look at the mindset shifts that can make the journey easier and more sustainable. CHAPTERS 00:00 – Why founder development goes beyond business skills 01:44 – Ian Maxwell's background in coaching and health tech 03:48 – Amanda Fornal's work with founders and impact-driven companies 04:55 – Marta Milkowska's journey through health tech and entrepreneurship 06:17 – Why physician founders benefit from coaching 08:06 – When the physician "grind" mindset stops helping 09:39 – Why founders always feel behind 11:11 – Rethinking competitors as potential partners 11:58 – Why even high performers need coaches 13:09 – Technical vs. adaptive challenges 15:00 – Why your MVP does not need to be perfect 15:16 – Learning to seek feedback instead of fear it 17:55 – How coaching supports the founder journey 19:34 – Becoming comfortable with your new identity as CEO 20:46 – Learning the language of business 23:03 – Why coachability matters 24:30 – Turning feedback into a founder advantage 25:49 – The leadership skills physicians often overlook 27:45 – Imposter syndrome and physician founders 29:39 – Can you make money and still do good? 31:28 – Money as a lagging indicator of impact 32:01 – Advice for early-stage physician founders 34:15 – Talk to users, learn, and celebrate the pivot 35:54 – Supporting the next generation of physician founders RESOURCES Explore the Startup Physicians Incubator: https://www.startupphysicians.com/incubator Connect with Ian on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianbmaxwell/ Connect with Ian at Mindset Magic: https://mindsetmagic.coach/ Connect with Marta on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marta-milkowska-a2181a7/ Book a discovery session with Marta’s team at Clear Signal Leadership: clearsignalleadership.com Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandadfornal/ Book a discovery session with Amanda’s team at Hypatia Leadership: https://www.hypatialeadership.com/ Free resources for physician founders: https://www.startupphysicians.com/resources Learn more about the Startup Physicians Podcast and other ways physicians can get involved in healthcare innovation: https://www.startupphysicians.com/

  2. 6 days ago

    How Physician Founders Can Fund and Grow Their Startups

    In this episode of the Startup Physicians Podcast, Dr. Alison Curfman shares lessons from her experience as a healthcare founder and co-founder of Imagine Pediatrics, including the story of her first founder pitch to the CEO of UnitedHealthcare.  Turning a clinical insight into a successful healthcare startup takes more than a great product. It takes the right connections, a clear funding strategy, and a plan for getting your idea in front of the people who can help bring it to life In this episode, you'll learn: Why talking to the wrong people can slow your startup's growth.How to use your professional network to build credibility and secure valuable introductions.Ways to fund your startup beyond picking up extra clinical shifts.How grants, pitch competitions, early customers, and investors can help extend your runway.Why letters of intent and early traction matter to investors.How experienced guides and strategic partners can shorten your sales and fundraising cycles.How to approach fundraising with clear financial models, milestones, and a plan for growth. CHAPTERS  00:00 – Alison's first pitch to the CEO of UnitedHealthcare 01:15 – The three lessons for physician founders 02:22 – Why a great product isn't enough 04:40 – Getting in front of the right people 06:56 – Building credibility and creating momentum 09:18 – Funding your startup beyond extra shifts 11:39 – Exploring grants and non-dilutive funding 13:56 – Building traction and planning your financial runway 16:18 – How the right partners accelerate growth 18:44 – Key takeaways for physician founders 19:00 – The power of the right connections 20:00 – Finding support through the Startup Physicians Incubator Resources Apply to the Startup Physicians Incubator: https://startupphysicians.com/incubator Explore free resources for physician founders: https://startupphysicians.com/resources Learn more about Startup Physicians: https://startupphysicians.com Connect with Startup Physicians on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-physicians/

  3. 14 Oct

    Building a Scalable Healthcare Startup with Venture Advisor Kim Sharp

    Physicians are trained to solve complex problems, but most are never taught how to turn a clinical insight into a scalable company. In this episode of the Startup Physicians Podcast, Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with Startup & Venture Advisor Kim Sharp to talk about the startup playbook physicians don’t learn in medical school. They discuss what physician founders need before they pitch, build, raise capital, or launch — including financial models, MVPs, data rooms, cap tables, product strategy, advisor networks, and venture readiness. If you have a healthcare idea but feel overwhelmed by the startup world, this episode will help you understand what it takes to move from idea to launch with more structure, confidence, and support. CHAPTERS 00:00 — Why Physician Founders Matter 01:59 — Meet Kim Sharp 05:33 — Why Physicians Have a Startup Advantage 06:35 — What Doctors Need to Learn Before Building 09:33 — De-Risking Your Idea Before You Launch 13:08 — Why Investors Bet on the Founder 14:24 — Financial Models, MVPs, and Pitch Decks 22:35 — Data Rooms, Cap Tables, and Venture Readiness 26:00 — Building Advisors, Community, and Support 28:35 — Building for Scale vs. Starting Small 32:43 — Strategic Networks and Warm Introductions 35:16 — Preparing for HLTH and Investor Meetings 39:03 — Who the Startup Physicians Incubator Is For 42:14 — How to Apply to the Incubator 43:53 — Why the Incubator Does Not Take Equity 45:32 — Closing Thoughts Resources Apply to the Startup Physicians Incubator: https://startupphysicians.com/incubator Explore free resources for physician founders: https://startupphysicians.com/resources Learn more about Startup Physicians: https://startupphysicians.com Connect with Startup Physicians on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-physicians/

  4. 7 Oct

    From Clinical Practice to Founding VirtuCare with Dr. Joe Pazona

    In this episode of the Startup Physicians Podcast, host Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with Dr. Joe Pazona, board-certified urologist and founder and CEO of VirtuCare, to explore his unconventional journey from traditional clinical practice to healthcare entrepreneurship. After experiencing burnout, frustrating healthcare systems, and significant gaps in specialty care, Joe decided to take a different path. He founded VirtuCare to rethink how urology services are delivered through telemedicine, team-based care, and hospital partnerships. Joe shares the challenges of building a healthcare company without a business background, why physicians need a seat at the table when designing new care models, and how technology can expand patient access without compromising clinical standards. If you're considering launching a startup, exploring advisory opportunities, or simply looking for ways to make a bigger impact in medicine, this conversation will provide valuable insight into what's possible beyond traditional clinical practice. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:33 Joe Pazona's journey into medicine and urology 02:50 Recognizing opportunities to improve healthcare 03:50 The reality of physician employment and burnout 06:11 When speaking up leads to difficult career decisions 07:33 Finding a new path in Nashville 09:22 How COVID exposed weaknesses in traditional healthcare models 10:42 The idea behind VirtuCare 12:50 From direct-to-consumer telemedicine to a new business model 13:50 Addressing the rural urology access problem 16:20 Rethinking what quality healthcare delivery looks like 18:37 The role of physician leadership in team-based care 22:08 Why doctors need a seat at the table 24:17 Balancing patient continuity with access and scalability 25:16 Exploring different paths into healthcare innovation 26:34 The realities of entrepreneurship and finding your purpose 28:37 Final advice for physicians who want to make a difference  Resources: Learn more about Startup Physicians: https://startupphysicians.com Connect with Startup Physicians on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-physicians/ Learn more about Virtucare: https://myvirtucare.com/  Connect with Virtucare on LinkedIn: ​​https://www.linkedin.com/company/myvirtucare

  5. 30 Sept

    Why Physicians Belong in Healthcare Innovation with Dr. Stephen Garber & Dr. Amar Patel

    Description:  Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with Dr. Stephen Garber, a board-certified anesthesiologist with more than 35 years of clinical experience, and Dr. Amar Patel, an orthopedic surgeon, to explore what it looks like when physicians step beyond traditional clinical roles and become active participants in healthcare innovation. Dr. Garber shares the story of how his experience in anesthesiology and years of seeing airway obstruction, hypoventilation, and airway-management challenges during procedural sedation led him into medical device innovation and his work with the xchange™ System. Stephen and Amar share practical lessons for physicians who are curious about startups, medical devices, entrepreneurship, advisory roles, and physician leadership. They discuss how to recognize opportunities in everyday clinical frustrations, how to evaluate companies that genuinely want physician input, and how doctors can leverage their clinical expertise outside the traditional healthcare system. They also get candid about the uncomfortable parts of the journey: learning the language of business, walking into unfamiliar rooms with investors and entrepreneurs, negotiating equity, building relationships, and finding the confidence to contribute as a physician without assuming you have to know everything about the startup world. Chapters 00:00 – Introduction: Physicians and healthcare innovation 00:45 – Dr. Stephen Garber’s journey into medical device innovation 02:46 – Why startups need physician leadership, not just physician endorsement 04:03 – Finding opportunities in everyday clinical problems 04:13 – Dr. Amar Patel’s introduction to the xchange™ System 06:23 – The importance of generating early clinical evidence 07:49 – Why physician involvement matters in proving a medical device 08:28 – Balancing clinical practice with innovation 10:44 – Why practicing physicians bring unique insight to product development 11:25 – How physician-to-physician collaboration can create opportunities 12:41 – Finding medical device opportunities at conferences and events 14:17 – Building confidence and learning to negotiate your value 16:06 – Overcoming fear and stepping outside the traditional physician path 17:23 – The “Why didn’t I think of that?” moment in medical innovation 18:27 – The energy and creativity of the startup environment 20:21 – Why physician leadership is critical to safety 21:50 – Breaking out of the traditional healthcare bureaucracy 22:47 – What was hardest about entering the startup world? 23:00 – Learning the business side of healthcare innovation 24:40 – Finding the right opportunity and the right community 25:44 – Why your professional network matters 27:53 – Final advice: Where’s the opportunity? Resources: Learn more about Startup Physicians: https://startupphysicians.com Connect with Startup Physicians on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-physicians/ Learn more about xchange by Pneuma: https://www.xchangebypneuma.com/  Connect with Pneuma Therapeutics on LinkedIn: ​​https://www.linkedin.com/company/pneuma-therapeutics/

  6. 9 Sept

    From Orthopedic Surgeon to VR Startup Founder with Dr. Danny Goel

    Orthopedic surgeon and physician founder Dr. Danny Goel went from identifying gaps in surgical training to co-founding PrecisionOS, a virtual reality and AI-powered platform designed to help surgeons practice skills and judgment in a risk-free environment. In this conversation, Danny joins Dr. Alison Curfman to talk about what that path looked like: starting with no intention of building a company, finding technical co-founders outside of medicine, validating the idea with other physicians, raising early capital, learning the business side of healthcare, and deciding to remain in clinical practice while building. They also discuss why staying close to clinical practice can strengthen a physician founder, how advisors can shape an early company, and why physicians should pressure-test their ideas instead of keeping them hidden until they feel perfect.   Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:58 The transition from surgical training to independent practice 03:20 Building a risk-free environment for surgical training 05:07 Why timing matters in medical simulation 07:48 Building from a problem inside clinical practice 09:17 Why physician founders can stay in medicine 11:31 How the company started 13:15 Finding technical co-founders outside of medicine 15:41 Raising early capital and validating the problem 18:27 Learning the business side of healthcare 20:17 Why physicians do not need an MBA to start 22:07 The value of advisors for early-stage founders 23:37 Pressure-testing a startup idea 25:42 Why physicians should not be afraid to share their ideas 29:06 Creating impact beyond individual patient care 30:16 A first step for physicians with startup ideas Resources Explore the Concept Pitch Builder and other free resources for physician founders: https://startupphysicians.com/resources Learn more about PrecisionOS: https://precisionostech.com Learn more about Startup Physicians: https://startupphysicians.com Connect with Startup Physicians on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-physicians/

  7. 2 Sept

    Starting, Scaling, and Selling a Healthcare Startup with Dr. Jose Barreau

    Oncologist and physician founder Dr. Jose Barreau went from identifying a communication problem inside the hospital to building Doc Halo, growing it into Halo Health, raising venture capital, and ultimately selling the company in 2021.   In this conversation, Jose joins Dr. Alison Curfman to talk about what that path actually looked like: starting with zero business or development experience, finding the right technical partners, deciding when to reduce clinical work, creating financial runway, navigating venture capital, and learning to become comfortable with feedback and sales.   They also discuss why clinical experience can be an advantage for physician founders, and why doctors do not need an MBA, a technical background, or every answer before they begin building.   Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:37 Solving a communication problem inside the hospital 03:22 Starting a company with zero business or development experience 05:02 Building Doc Halo while practicing medicine 06:40 Finding the right technical partner and avoiding technical debt 07:52 Deciding when to step away from full-time clinical practice 08:49 Creating financial runway before making the leap 10:37 The safety net physicians have when building a startup 12:06 Staying connected to clinical medicine as a founder 14:59 Learning venture capital and evaluating term sheets 17:21 Finding the right advisors, lawyers, and investors 18:20 Growing Halo Health and selling the company 19:10 The mindset shift from physician to founder 20:42 Why founders need to embrace feedback and sales 21:36 Discovery calls, validation, and learning before pitching   Resources Explore free resources for physician founders: https://startupphysicians.com/resources   Learn more about Startup Physicians: https://startupphysicians.com   Connect with Startup Physicians on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-physicians/

  8. 19 Aug

    From Orthopedic Surgeon to AI Founder: Building Healthcare Software

    In this episode of the Startup Physicians Podcast, Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with orthopedic surgeon and physician founder Dr. Justin Smith to talk about his path from clinical medicine to entrepreneurship, private practice, and building an AI-powered platform designed to reduce the administrative burden of running a medical practice.   Justin shares how his entrepreneurial journey started with Morning Rounds Coffee and expanded into medical products, private practice, and ultimately healthcare software. He also breaks down what he has learned about working with developers, building for healthcare compliance, fundraising from physician investors, creating a strategic product roadmap, and using AI to build AI.   If you’re a physician with an idea for a startup, or you’re already building one, this conversation is packed with practical lessons on moving from subject matter expertise to an actual company.   CHAPTERS 00:00 – Introduction: Dr. Justin Smith 02:27 – Why AI is empowering physician founders 05:37 – Healthcare security, PHI, and SOC 2 compliance 07:22 – Why physicians still have an edge as subject matter experts 09:49 – Communicating your vision to developers and investors 13:23 – Turning physician investors into aligned beta testers 16:14 – The changing SaaS landscape 18:30 – Prompt engineering, context engineering, and AI agents 21:19 – Using AI internally to build a leaner company 23:28 – Making independent practice more accessible   Resources: Startup Physicians Resources: https://www.startupphysicians.com/resources Startup Physicians: https://www.startupphysicians.com/ Connect with Justin Smith, MD : Linkedinlinkedin.com/in/justin-smith-md-faaos-fa... - https://www.turnkeyaipractice.io @toddwalkermd - toddwalkermd.com  @sportssmithmd - sportssmithmd.com

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About

StartUp Physicians is the podcast for doctors who dare to think beyond the clinic and hospital walls. Hosted by Dr. Alison Curfman, a practicing pediatric emergency physician and successful healthcare startup founder, this series empowers physicians to explore dynamic career opportunities in the healthcare startup world. Dr. Alison Curfman brings a wealth of experience to the mic, having founded and grown a healthcare company that served over 25,000 patients and achieved a nine-figure valuation in just two years. She has worked as a consultant, advisor, and chief medical officer, helping early-stage companies secure major funding and develop innovative clinical models. Now, she’s passionate about sharing the lessons she’s learned to help other physicians thrive in the startup space. Whether you’re looking to launch your own venture, become a consultant, or join a forward-thinking healthcare team, this podcast is your go-to guide. Each episode is packed with actionable advice on topics like personal branding, creating marketable services, and navigating the startup landscape. You’ll also hear from trailblazing physicians and industry leaders in private equity and venture capital, sharing their insights on why physician voices are essential in shaping the future of healthcare. If you’re ready to make a meaningful impact and build a career that excites and inspires you, StartUp Physicians will show you the way. New episodes drop every Wednesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen. Visit StartupPhysicians.com for resources, transcripts, and to connect with a community of like-minded doctors. It’s time to reimagine what’s possible for your career—and for healthcare.

Information

  • Creator
    Alison Curfman, M.D.
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    85
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Startup Physicians
  • Show Website
    Startup Physicians

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