From Code to CTO: Building a Global Health Tech Startup - Francesco Hayes | EP 30

How does a developer transition from freelancing to building a scalable health tech platform that challenges a multi-billion dollar industry? Francesco Hayes, a serial entrepreneur and fractional CTO, reveals his journey from learning to code to founding Luxera—a platform making procedures like hair transplants 80% cheaper by connecting patients with top clinics abroad.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

· The $50,000 Price Difference: How Luxera uses tech to bypass the US healthcare system and connect patients with quality, affordable care in Turkey and Greece.

· The AI Hiring Paradox: Why 95% of AI-built products fail and the critical mistake he sees developers make when relying too heavily on ChatGPT.

· The "Don't Know Until You Try" Motto: How getting rejected from big tech jobs led him to start his own agency and eventually become a founder.

· Scalable MVP Architecture: His strategy for building a flexible tech foundation from day one without getting bogged down in over-engineering.

· The Burnout Balance: Practical habits for managing multiple ventures (tech, real estate) without sacrificing sanity or performance.

· The Developer's AI Mindset: Why AI is a powerful tool but a terrible replacement for core problem-solving skills.

For developers and builders who want to turn code into companies that solve real-world problems.

Connect With Francesco Hayes:

Website: https://francescohayes.dev

X(Twitter): https://x.com/FrancescoHayes_

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francescohayes

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Francesco Hayes& Luxera

01:07 The Mission of Luxera:Affordable Healthcare Abroad

04:22 Engineering Background's Impact on Startup Building

05:50 Advice for Student Entrepreneurs

08:31 AI:Tool, Threat, or Something Else for Developers?

11:50 The AI Hiring Challenge:A Real-World Example

15:48 Avoiding Burnout While Managing Multiple Ventures

18:11 The Struggles of Juggling Multiple Businesses

20:27 Why Entrepreneurship Over Big Tech?

23:17 Balancing Scalable Architecture with Startup Speed

26:58 What Schools Don't Teach Early-Career Developers

29:03 Staying Creative and Generating New Ideas

30:55 Defining Innovation Across Industries

31:53 Connecting with Francesco Hayes

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