Former doctor quit his job to create an AI tool, and his company is now worth $465M. What aspiring entrepreneurs can learn from his experience
https://www.aol.com/finance/former-doctor-quit-job-create-123000366.html
Publish Date: 2026-02-18 11:23:00
Source Domain: www.aol.com
A doctor looks at the computer in his office.
In 2021, Thomas Kelly stood at a crossroads in his career journey.
Already a successful family doctor in his early 30s, the more sensible choice was clear: pursue a certification in vascular surgery. But that isn’t what Kelly did. Instead of doubling down on his medical profession, Kelly quit his secure practice to pursue a new path in artificial intelligence (1).
Must Read
Luckily for Kelly, his AI bet paid off. According to the most recent funding rounds, Kelly’s company, Heidi, has a valuation of $465 million.
As an AI scribe, Heidi’s system helps medical providers organize their days and transcribe notes on the spot to reduce many necessary but tedious tasks. The idea behind Heidi came from Kelly’s own frustration with the limited time in his daily practice.
When explaining why he decided to give Heidi his full attention, Kelly told CNBC, “[I thought] I’ll regret it forever if I don’t take this chance. How many surgical trainees are good enough in math and have had business experience and can build this product? I think not many.”
Although Kelly focused on medicine during his studies at the University of Melbourne, he also had a passion for math and computer science. Plus, he had previous experience building the AI system Oscar, which helped thousands of students practice interacting with a lifelike medical interviewer.
“Maybe it was hubris,” Kelly admitted, “but I thought if anyone can start this company, it would be me, and let’s try and see what happens.”
Is quitting the smart career move?
Many physicians in the U.S. can relate to Kelly’s struggles in providing quality care to patients while taking care of their own mental and physical health. An analysis from Stanford found that approximately 45% of physicians reported at least one symptom of burnout between 2023 and 2024 (2).
Add in the recent headlines related to AI startups raising millions or billions (3), and it makes sense that some of…
