From Risk-Averse Consultant to AI Healthcare Founder

In this episode of Journeys to the Summit, host Ilya Zlotnik sits down with healthcare entrepreneur and climbing partner Ian Strug for a candid, high-altitude look at risk, failure, and building again.Ian walks through his path from:-Liberal arts major at Vanderbilt with PhD dreams-Early career at Epic and management consulting-Co-founding Virgo, an AI-enabled GI/endoscopy company-Surviving COVID, the SVB collapse panic, and a painful founder exit-Launching a new, Mayo Clinic–backed company focused on OR efficiency and surgical accessThey cover:-Why being “risk-averse” doesn’t mean you’re not entrepreneurial-How a Techstars experience flipped Ian’s career trajectory-What he’d do differently around fundraising, capitalization, and banking-How to think about equity realistically as an employee-The mental health cost of tying your identity to your company-Where AI actually makes sense in healthcare—and where it’s overkillIf you’re curious about healthcare startups, AI, or what it actually feels like to walk away from your “baby” and start again, this is a powerful, honest conversation.🔔 Subscribe to Journeys to the Summit for more in-depth conversations with builders, leaders, and climbers pushing toward their own summits.#JourneysToTheSummit #EntrepreneurialInsights