Here's something nobody tells you about what i learned after 5 years building an: the conventional wisdom is mostly backwards.
After more than ten years in Silicon Valley, I’ve seen a lot of changes. AI in healthcare is one of the biggest shifts, and I want to share the lessons I’ve learned from my own startups and investments—what worked, what didn’t, and the surprises along the way.
The Framework That Actually Works
I'm going to share the exact framework I use when evaluating what i learned after 5 years building an. It's not complicated, but it requires discipline.
Step 1: you need to move fast and break things This is where most people go wrong. They skip this step entirely and jump straight to execution. Don't do that.
Step 2: most founders overthink this and underspend on execution Once you have the foundation right, this becomes much easier. I've watched founders struggle with this for months when the answer was staring them in the face.
Step 3: Iterate relentlessly Nothing works perfectly the first time. The companies in my portfolio that nail what i learned after 5 years building an are the ones that treat it as an ongoing process, not a one-time project.
The Reality Nobody Talks About
Most people approach what i learned after 5 years building an with assumptions that made sense five years ago. The world has moved on. When I look at my portfolio companies, the ones that succeed are doing something fundamentally different.
The first thing to understand is that your team matters more than your technology. I've seen this play out across dozens of companies. The pattern is unmistakable.
At RemoteTeam, we learned this the hard way. We spent months going down the wrong path before realizing that timing is everything in this game. Once we made the switch, everything changed.
What I Tell Founders
When a founder in my portfolio asks me about what i learned after 5 years building an, I usually start with three questions:
- What's your timeline? Because the right approach for a company with 6 months of runway is very different from one with 3 years.
- What have you already tried? Most founders have tried something. Understanding what didn't work is often more valuable than knowing what might.
- Who on your team owns this? If the answer is "everyone" or "no one," that's your first problem to solve.
These questions seem simple but they reveal a lot about where a company actually stands.
This connects to broader themes around healthcare automation, clinical AI, biotech AI, medical AI that I've been thinking about a lot lately.
What's Next
The world of what i learned after 5 years building an is moving fast. What worked last year might not work next year. That's both the challenge and the opportunity.
My advice: stay curious, stay humble, and stay close to the people who are actually doing the work. Read less thought leadership and do more experiments. Talk to fewer consultants and more practitioners.
And if you're a founder building in this space, remember that the best time to get what i learned after 5 years building an right is before you need to. Don't wait for a crisis to force your hand.
I'll keep sharing what I learn. This stuff matters too much to keep to myself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long did it take to see results?
Most meaningful business results take 3-6 months to materialize. Anyone promising overnight success is selling something. The companies in my portfolio that grew fastest were the ones that stayed patient and consistent.
What was the biggest challenge in this case?
Almost always, the biggest challenge is people and alignment, not technology or strategy. Getting the right team focused on the right problem is harder than any technical challenge I've encountered.
Can these results be replicated?
The specific numbers will vary, but the underlying patterns and principles are transferable. The key is understanding the context behind the results, not just copying the tactics. Every company has unique constraints that shape what works.