The Startup Playbook Physicians Don’t Learn in Medical School 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:   / startup-physicians