The Rise of Clinician Founders: Why doctors are no longer (just) employees
- Shubhendu Kulshreshtha
- Jul 16
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 7
In recent years, we have witnessed an extraordinary rise in the number of physician entrepreneurs Founders. These professionals are not just doctors; they are innovators, leaders, and visionaries who are reshaping the healthcare landscape. With an impressive blend of medical knowledge and entrepreneurial spirit, they are stepping beyond the walls of hospitals and clinics to create transformative solutions. In this post, we will explore the phenomenon of Clinician Founders, what drives them, and how they are making significant impacts inside and outside the world of medicine.
Introduction: The System Isn’t Broken—It’s Just Not Built For Us
More and more healthcare professionals are asking a quiet question: What if the change I want to see in healthcare isn’t going to come from within the system?
That’s where clinician entrepreneurship begins.
This isn’t about running a side hustle for fun or income alone. It’s about reclaiming autonomy, solving real problems, and creating meaningful change where bureaucracy falls short. And it’s not just a trend—it’s a movement.
Over the past few years, I’ve coached and interviewed dozens of clinician founders on my podcast—people who didn’t quit healthcare, but decided to build something of their own.
Here’s what I’ve learned.
Who Are Clinician Founders Today?
Clinician founders are doctors, nurses, therapists, pharmacists—healthcare professionals who take their lived experience—the clinical, the cultural, the systemic—and use it as fuel to build new services, platforms, communities, and companies.
This includes:
A doctor recovering from burnout who now leads the space in ADHD consulting for major firms, using her lived experience and clinical insight to redesign how neurodivergence is understood and supported in the workplace
An NHS doctor launching a private training platform to improve simulation education nationwide
A plastic surgeon helping other clinicians design and launch their own private healthcare clinics, offering not just aesthetics but autonomy and ownership
These aren’t just hypotheticals. They’re real people I’ve worked with inside the Clinician Impact Actionship or featured on the Clinician Founders podcast.
What unites them isn’t a business degree. It’s a burning desire to make healthcare work better—for patients, professionals, and the public.
Why They’re Doing It: From Frustration to Foundership
Most clinician founders aren’t running from healthcare. They’re running toward something.
The real reasons healthcare professionals are founding companies:
To reclaim time and purpose (because the rota isn’t flexible, but your brain is)
To solve a problem they see every day (and can’t ignore any longer)
To build equity, not just credentials (because credibility should compound)
To work with creativity, not just compliance
One of my guests, Dr. Ellie Scott-Gray, spoke about her journey from doctor to barista to ADHD advocate and now Founder. Her story wasn’t linear but it was courageous. And it reflects a growing truth: you don’t need to quit medicine—you need to grow your impact beyond it.
Common Barriers (And What Actually Works)
Clinician founders face real challenges. Not just funding or compliance, but:
Mindset hurdles ("Who am I to start something?")
Lack of traction ("I have the idea—but how do I build momentum?")
Professional identity tension ("What will my peers think?")
That’s why we build with frameworks:
1. Zone of Impact
A 3-part approach to choosing ventures that align with:
Purpose (energy)
Influence (audience)
Equity (long-term value)
2. Clinician Ladder
From surviving to driving your own career:
Self → Effort → Projects → Skills → Systems → Ownership → Vision
These frameworks aren’t theoretical. They’ve helped Actionship members go from uncertainty to traction—from feeling invisible to being offered funding, press coverage, and strategic partnerships.
What Sets Them Apart: The Founder Mindset
Being a clinician founder isn’t about having the right logo, pitch deck, or Instagram bio.
It’s about:
Solving the right problem (not just the easiest one)
Speaking in stories, not status updates
Thinking in systems, not symptoms
On the podcast, founders didn’t just share wins. They shared how they learned to think like entrepreneurs—by learning from failure, feedback, and forward motion.
The Future of Healthcare Belongs to Builders
If you’ve ever thought, "I care too much to stay silent," you’re probably one of us.
Clinician founders aren’t an exception. We’re the next evolution.
We’re the ones who:
Write grant applications at midnight
Pitch products we wish we had as juniors
Create communities because we didn’t feel seen ourselves
You don’t need to be tech-savvy or MBA-certified to start. You need clarity, conviction, and a support system that speaks healthcare and business in the same breath.
Final Thoughts: You Don’t Have to Wait for Permission
No one’s coming to give you a certificate in "credible innovation."
You earn it by showing up, again and again, to solve problems that matter—with people who care.
If you’re ready to stop waiting for change—and start building it—consider this your invitation.
🎙️ Listen to the Clinician Founders podcast for real, messy, powerful stories.🔎 Or take the quiz to find out if you’re ready to make medicine your side hustle: coachwithshub.com/quiz
About the Author
Shub is an emergency medicine doctor, executive coach, and founder of the Clinician Impact Actionship. He helps healthcare professionals clarify their next move, launch high-impact ventures, and grow their influence beyond the bedside. He also hosts the Clinician Founders podcast.
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