Riding the Startup Rocketship
How a PT Experienced 20x Growth in 3 Years at Hinge Health
Dr. Kelsey Quam is a Physical Therapist Manager at Hinge Health and a former Fulbright Scholar. Combining clinical, cultural, business, and tech expertise, she is an early clinical hire for Hinge Health and has first-hand knowledge of “riding the rocketship” — excelling in the fast-paced environment of a rapidly scaling HealthTech startup. Below, she outlines her unique perspective — just like people, companies grow and change, and living that shift first-hand is a powerful experience she has kindly shared with our clinical community.
Say you land your first job at a growing health tech startup. Congrats. Landing that first job outside the clinic wasn’t easy, and you did it. You can’t wait to work on big problems in healthcare. You’re delivering care at scale and using your degree in new ways.
You probably had a strong support crew cheering you on, from communities like Next Degree. (Editor’s note: Kelsey’s a rockstar, and we did not ask her to say that. The generosity of clinicians sharing both clinical and non-clinical experiences with the rest of us are what make healthcare so special.)
What you don’t know on your first day of work is that your grit, timing, and dumb luck got you to one of the fastest growing digital health companies. Each week, new faces are being introduced at the company all hands. Then your company receives another round of funding which leads to higher valuations, more resources, and a growing customer base. You’re on a rocketship.
Let’s talk about how to “ride” the rocketship after the enthusiasm of your hiring and onboarding has settled down. Being nearly 4 years into life as an independent contributor turned Manager at a hyper growth digital health startup, here’s what I wish I knew when I started, and what the ride’s been like.
Let’s dive in.
Part 1: Moving at the speed of light
Part 2: How I managed through change
Part 3: If you’re new to a fast growing startup
Part 4: Resources (because you’re not alone)
Part 1: Moving at the speed of light
One must continue to grow rapidly to even keep pace with the rate of change at a hypergrowth startup.
If you’re working at a startup that is in the “Build” phase of growth, you’re probably going to notice a lot of new organizational opportunities. You could leverage your “boots on the ground” expertise in different parts of the department or organization. If you’re looking to grow rapidly in your own career, this is a great time to take on projects in special interest areas to hone your strengths and interests.
My time in the “Build” phase of Hinge Health went by in the blink of an eye. I learned to navigate cross-functional teams by doing anything and everything. I pitched a new program opportunity to our CEO at an Ideas Pitch. I helped launch an internal company podcast. I was a “generalist” working to develop a new and quickly growing department.
After spending some time wearing a lot of hats as a generalist, I began working in a Manager role. We needed someone who was familiar with internal tools and processes and able to step right in to onboard and support leadership of the growing PT department. I began teaching and leading what I used to do directly. I helped sustain the department’s unique, fun culture amidst rapid growth.
Part 2: How I Managed through Change
At a hypergrowth startup, the skills that you were hired for are going to be different from the skills you’ll need the next year, and the year after that. You must swim with the current of growth and avoid resisting what’s new or different to your role, your product, and your company.
Coming out on top of change has been one of the most challenging parts of my journey.
When our learning and development team grew, I was no longer onboarding new hires directly, something I used to enjoy. As the organization grew I reported to different stakeholders.
This type of change can feel like loss at times. But as improvements were happening all around me, I sharpened my own managerial skills into more specialized organizational needs: hiring sprints, performance management, and growing a new team of PTs.
Part 3: If you’re new to a hypergrowth startup
If you’re a clinician and you’re still figuring out work life at your fast growing startup, it’s up to you on how you’ll manage growth and change. The department I work in saw tremendous growth year over year, and is now multiple times larger than when I started. Alongside the growth, I’ve seen colleagues around me soar and others sink amidst change.
The paths of those who soar in rapidly growing environments:
- Are able to direct strong self-reflection skills into personal growth areas.
- Openly seek out feedback and are not afraid to take big risks.
Others might “sink” and be less successful when:
- Failing to keep pace with changing systems and processes or workloads.
- Self sabotaging through change resistance or political missteps.
Take some time to understand your strengths if you’re a clinician working in a new environment so you can navigate your new role with success. When I realized that one of my superpowers is to thrive in ambiguity I leveraged this strength among stakeholders and projects in my workplace.
Part 4: Resources (because you’re not alone)
The following resources have anchored me to my path and purpose during times where everything was changing around me.
Hinge Health internal mentorship program
- This was an open ended learning structure where a Senior Product Manager and I worked together on skills development and career navigation. This is crucial — find out what resources are available to you in your new role to continue growing and being uncomfortable, instead of trying to catch up AFTER change has happened.
Professional coaching
- There are a lot of services out there. I found an experienced mentor through BetterUp. She was able to connect me to trends in digital health and offer perspective when I was stuck in the weeds. Coaches can help you understand your strengths and level up areas to grow in.
Connect!
- It’s simple. Careers are about the people you meet and the things you create with them. So go out and connect with colleagues in digital health, share ideas, and create new paths in healthcare. Digital health resources and forums helped me gain perspective on industry level trends. I have been enjoying the Health Tech Nerds community and newsletter. I also connected with clinicians in The Clinician Transition.
So, thinking of entering a hypergrowth startup? That’s just the beginning.
As hard as you’ve worked to get there, you’ll need to work even harder to keep pace…
…especially if you’re in an early-stage company growing faster than anything you’ve ever experienced before. This is truly the beginning — but you should know that getting to the end will be even harder…and so worth it.
You got this.
Interested in meeting other clinicians (and scientists!) who share your same interests, as well as learning more about startups in the healthcare space? Check out the “Careers in clinic (and beyond)” group as well as Next Degree — the next-gen healthcare job search designed to help you build a career you love, whether that’s in clinic — or beyond.
