In this episode on Startup Physicians, I had the chance to sit down with Dr. Kieran McLeod, a former emergency physician who made the leap from clinical work in South Africa to building startups in Australia. We first connected on LinkedIn, and this conversation reminded me just how powerful it is when physicians share their ideas publicly.

Kieran walks through his early career, how a failed plan to work on cruise ships turned into field hospital work with Doctors Without Borders, and how the rise of telehealth sparked his interest in startups. He shares what it was like to build his first venture, a smoking cessation app, with no coding experience and a lot of trial and error. We talk about low-code tools, product strategy, and the reality of building something valuable in a crowded space.

If you’re a physician wondering whether you can actually contribute in tech or startups, this episode makes the answer pretty clear. You can. And you should.

Episode Highlights:

[00:00] – How we met on LinkedIn

[04:40] – Emergency medicine, field hospitals, and a shift toward tech

[08:15] – Starting Baiguai (and learning the hard way)

[16:20] – Building without knowing how to code

[27:40] – Moving to Australia to go all-in on health tech

[33:50] – Why clinicians matter in product, ops, and safety