Many of the best healthcare startups are the brainchild of a physician who saw a clinical need and is at work to fill it. A recent Entrepreneur editorial by Shiv Gaglani, Osmosis co-founder and Medgadget editor, investigates this healthcare industry trend, citing perseverance, focus and sense of purpose as major commonalities between docs and entrepreneurs. (Click here to read the full article for an in-depth perspective on those qualities.) But maybe more interesting are the differences between physicians and entrepreneurs. With all this common ground at the core of character, why isn’t every doctor running a side business on nights and weekends?
Entrepreneurs are generally risk-seeking whereas med students are risk averse, rebellious vs. obedient, impatient vs. patient, imaginative vs. “imaginectomy,” and scale-driven vs. individual-driven. The first four splits appear to widen the further a med student progresses along the path, both because of increased opportunity cost (“golden handcuffs”) and decreased tolerance for experimentation in the clinic or operating room. Bluntly speaking, there’s no room for “Lean Doctor” when it comes to directly treating patients.
Of course, not everyone’s cut out or even would want to head a startup. Thank goodness. But at least two of those things might be changing. Patients (ironically) are demanding more impatience from their providers, with imaginative treatment paths. It could impact what medical students expect when going into the field and how they behave once practicing.
BioLabs Pegasus Park Cultivates Life Science Ecosystem
Gabby Everett, the site director for BioLabs Pegasus Park, offered a tour of the space and shared some examples of why early-stage life science companies should choose North Texas.
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