Writ large, we still live in a "venture-first" startup culture. This means that most startups, most of the time, believe that they need to raise money from VCs and spend it in 12- to 18-month cycles in order to grow. The truth is, there’s another way: focusing on profitable, sustainable growth.

The good news is that this "venture-first" culture is shifting, given the current economic climate; this is especially true in healthcare, which saw a gluttony of funding in '21 and a pullback in '22. As happens in economic cycles, founders are shifting their mentalities and expectations. But the pendulum needs to continue to swing toward fiscal prudence and startup stability over a growth-at-all-costs mindset. READ MORE