Why Doctors Win

The Doctor's Guide to Creating or Joining a High-Impact Startup

De: David Lortscher MD

Narrado por: Michael David Axtell

The inside stories of 10 elite physician-founded startups

You'll discover:

1. Why physicians have an unfair advantage.

2. The two components of a great startup idea.

3. How to succeed as a doctor in the startup world.

An insider's view:

Based on exclusive interviews with the physician founders of 10 massively successful startups including:

• Abridge, the high-flying AI scribe leader founded by cardiologist Dr. Shiv Rao

• ChenMed, the 120-location primary care practice founded by internist Dr. James Chen

• Doximity, the multi-billion-dollar provider-of-everything founded by MD/MBA Dr. Nate Gross

• And many more...

The startup world needs doctors:

Physician-led healthcare startups massively outperform their non-physician-led counterparts. But since only 17% of healthcare startups have a physician founder, physicians are needed not just as founders but also as executives in startups that already exist.

Startups in fields like AI will continue to leap forward with or without physicians. But with doctors in key leadership roles, progress will be faster, more patient-centered, and more impactful.

"Makes the startup world feel accessible. A standout read and one I’ll be returning to."–Keith Sakata, MD, psychiatry at UCSF

"The case studies are engrossing, educational, and best of all, inspiring."–Matt Williams, MD, fellow at Scrub Capital

"A must-read for doctors and anyone who wants to improve America's healthcare system."–Julia Jezmir, MD, Chief Medical Officer at AristaMD

About the author:

David Lortscher, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist, trained at UC San Diego and Washington University in St. Louis. As co-founder and CEO of Curology, he helped grow the company to $1 billion in cumulative revenue and over 5 million patients served.

©2025 David Lortscher (P)2025 David Lortscher

Great insight

Really enjoyed the deep dive into a founder’s journey as well as broader application to other physicians and founders

Physicians for the win!

Interesting author journey and the case studies were insightful! I learned more about some of my favorite companies. Interesting to see the combination of luck and skill that leads to success. And seems intuitive to include clinicians in the founding journey.

A must-read for any physician with an entrepreneurial drive

As a vascular surgery resident with an entrepreneurial drive, I have read many books on startups and business building, but none of them have spoken directly to physicians the way this one does. That alone makes it stand out.
The framework of analyzing the most influential healthcare companies through the lens of the founder at the time of founding was incredibly clarifying. It reframed how I think about physician-founded companies and the unique advantage physicians bring to healthcare entrepreneurship compared to non physician-led startups.

Highly recommend to any physician who has ever wondered whether medicine and entrepreneurship can coexist. This book makes a compelling case that not only can they, but that physicians may actually be best positioned to lead the change.

Must read for physician entrepreneurs

A helpful guide for those wanting to innovate in healthcare. Simple and actionable frameworks, inspiring case studies and good advice for physician leaders and innovators wanting to leap into the startup world.

Encouraging

Although the book was directed at physicians, there are also nuggets in there that I think would be more broadly applicable to others on assessing opportunities and diving into more entrepreneurial work. It definitely describes a strong argument for increasing the presence of physician leaders and encouraging them to get more involved.