Doctors make great entrepreneurs
Dr Vijay Paul and Dr Nishanth Krishnananthan had a problem. They were very close to a big issue in medical imaging but had no Startup experience.
Their combined experience working in emergency medicine and surgery, across both rural and metro hospitals, had shown them that despite all the advancements in modern medicine, the communication of medical imaging, especially to patients, simply wasn’t keeping pace.
In some cases, the existing technology could leave both healthcare professionals and patients vulnerable to inadequate informed consent, as well as compromise patient comprehension around results.
It was time for the standard 2D monochrome lightbox, a stalwart in medical television dramas since time immemorial, to evolve.
“As doctors, we really enjoy problem solving, and wanted to take the leap. In any industry you come across problems in the workplace, and we didn’t want to just complain about it, we wanted to help solve them,” says Vijay.
The pair credit the HCF Catalyst Accelerator Program with supercharging the genesis of Vantari VR, a Startup at the intersection of medical imaging and virtual reality (VR).
Today, their expert technical team is developing cutting edge technology and taking current visualisation of CT, MRI and other medical images into VR, showing patients their own scans in a way that is more meaningful and easier to understand.
Both Royal Prince Alfred and Westmead Hospital have reported great satisfaction with the early iterations of Vantari VR technology, with the team now in deep development and planned implementation around the corner, in November.
“With the 12-week accelerator, you learn how to go from an idea into a real business. It teaches you how to create a sustainable business model, form partnerships with big corporates, as well as fundamental professional business skills like sales and pitching. As doctors we have clinical acumen and a good work ethic but many of these skills were new.” says Nishanth.
Not dissimilar to the debate around which came first, the chicken or the egg, successful Startups are adept at recognising that it’s the problem that takes precedence.
Both Vijay and Nishanth agree that their solution, Vantari VR, would not have come to fruition nor experienced the success it has without the education and learnings from the HCF Catalyst Accelerator Program.
“Doctors make great entrepreneurs and are great at problem solving. As a healthcare professional, you can make a big impact beyond clinical medicine and often the best people to help drive healthcare forward are medical professionals themselves,” says Vijay.
