Physician Entrepreneurship in Residency: Building a Startup While Training with Dr. Daniella Dennis

Many physicians don’t fully understand the contracts they sign when starting their careers.In this episode of the Startup Physicians Podcast, Dr. Alison Curfman speaks with Dr. Daniella Dennis, an emergency medicine resident at the University of Connecticut and founder of Payscope MD, an AI platform designed to help physicians better understand employment contracts and salary benchmarks.Daniella started building her company during intern year of residency after realizing how complex physician contracts are—and how expensive legal reviews can be for graduating residents.Instead of waiting until the “perfect time,” she leveraged no-code AI tools to build a minimum viable product and start gathering feedback from physicians. In this conversation, we discuss:Why physician contracts are often difficult to understandHow AI may help physicians identify contract red flagsBuilding a startup while still in medical trainingWhy MVPs and user feedback matter more than perfectionHow physicians can leverage their clinical skills in entrepreneurshipWhy early-career doctors may actually have an advantage in innovation Dr. Dennis also shares how posting one TikTok video helped her connect with mentors in health tech—and how simply getting started can open unexpected doors.If you’ve ever wondered whether physicians can become founders—or whether it’s “too early” in your career to start something—this episode will challenge that assumption. CHAPTERS:00:00 – Introduction to Dr. Daniella Dennis02:00 – The Idea Behind Payscope MD05:10 – Building an AI Startup Without a Technical Background08:40 – Why MVPs and Feedback Matter in Startups12:30 – Why Early Career Physicians Should Build in Health Tech17:50 – Advice for Doctors Who Want to Start Something RESOURCES:Payscope MDStartup Physicians Connect with Daniella:X: @payscopeMDLinkedln:@GetPayScopeMDLinkedln: @Daniella Denniswww.theresidentfounder.comInstagram: @Daniella_DoubleD