# Episode #240 - How to Get Paid Consulting for Startups and Venture Firms.

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-doctor-s-crossing-carpe-diem-podcast-1318373/episode-240-how-to-get-paid-consulting-for-startups-and-venture-firms
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-doctor-s-crossing-carpe-diem-podcast-1318373/episode-240-how-to-get-paid-consulting-for-startups-and-venture-firms.md
Podcast: [The Doctor's Crossing Carpe Diem Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-doctor-s-crossing-carpe-diem-podcast-1318373)
Published: 2026-02-11T15:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://doctorscrossing.libsyn.com/episode-240-how-to-get-paid-consulting-for-startups-and-venture-firms
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/doctorscrossing/Doctors_Crossing_240_-_EDITED_1.mp3?dest-id=2324036
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-doctor-s-crossing-carpe-diem-podcast-1318373/episodes/episode-240-how-to-get-paid-consulting-for-startups-and-venture-firms
Duration seconds: 1814

## Resource

If you've ever looked around your workplace and thought, "There has to be a better way to do this," you're not alone. Many physicians see inefficiencies, gaps in care, and systems that don't truly serve patients—but feel powerless to change them from the inside. In today's episode, I'm thrilled to welcome back Dr. Alison Curfman, pediatric emergency medicine physician, co-founder of Imagine Pediatrics, and founder of Startup Physicians. Alison previously shared her remarkable journey from frontline medicine into the startup and venture capital world, and today she's back to help demystify how any physician can use their expertise to consult with startups—without giving up clinical work. We talk about what these roles actually look like, who qualifies (spoiler: almost everyone), and how physicians can begin building meaningful, paid advisory work that creates real impact. Whether you're early in training, mid-career, clinically inactive, or nearing retirement, this conversation will expand your sense of what's possible. And if this topic resonates, be sure to listen through to the end. We're hosting a free live webinar together on Wednesday, February 25th, 2026 , where we'll go much deeper into the step-by-step process of breaking into startup consulting. In this episode we're talking about: Why physicians are uniquely valuable to startups and venture firms The different ways doctors can consult (advisory, product design, research, policy, and more) Whether you need to be clinically active, board-certified, or mid-career to qualify How residents, fellows, and retirees can all find opportunities in this space Why early roles may involve equity or lower pay—and why that's often worth it How physicians actually find and connect with startup opportunities Why this work feel…

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## Transcript

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