Healthcare technology is raising the bar on execution

In February, I wrote that the market was recalibrating. Heading into 2027, the stakes are clearer: turn investment into products customers adopt, workflows that work, and measurable business results.

Three trends stand out:

• Capital remains available—and selective. U.S. digital health startups raised $11.1B through Q3 2026. Average deal size increased to $31M, reflecting continued concentration into larger rounds.
• AI spending is shifting toward deployment. In Bain and Bessemer’s 2026 survey, healthcare executives expected 55% of next year’s incremental AI investment to go toward scaling proven use cases and integrating them into existing workflows. Administrative applications are delivering stronger early returns, while clinical AI still faces hurdles around trust, validation, and accountability.
• Buyers want fewer vendors and deeper value. The same survey found that 42% of respondents were consolidating vendors to simplify their technology stacks and reduce costs. For healthcare technology companies, integration and implementation increasingly shape the ability to win—and retain—customers.

My takeaway for hiring: domain fluency belongs alongside technical capability.

For founders building their next team, I would prioritize:

• Product leaders who understand clinical workflows, customer economics, and adoption.
• Engineering and integration leaders who can connect complex healthcare systems and get customers live.
• Data and AI engineers who can build reliable pipelines, evaluate model performance, and operate securely in production.
• Hands-on operators who can turn broad goals into clear priorities and delivered results.

That is the focus of my work at TechStarsGroup: helping companies hire people who understand the business problem behind the product—and can execute against it.

The founder feedback in my original post still captures the outcome that matters:

“They gave me time back.”

“They drove real, measurable outcomes.”

“They helped our team level up.”

Looking back at your team’s recent hires, which has made the biggest impact—and what did that person bring that made the difference?