From Pre-Revenue to Market Leader: Datacubed Health’s Talent Strategy for Regulated Markets

Technical talent alone won’t win in regulated markets. In a recent Category Visionaries episode, Datacubed Health CEO Brett Kleger revealed why finding the right balance between technical expertise and industry experience became the cornerstone of their growth strategy.

The Pre-Revenue Challenge

When Brett joined in 2020, Datacubed Health had strong technology but limited market traction. “They had a product that was getting into market. I would say it was mostly pre revenue. It was mostly pilot testing an incredible product, but they hadn’t really focused as much on the go to market to date,” he explains.

This situation is familiar to many founders: great technology seeking product-market fit. But Brett’s approach to solving this challenge broke from conventional startup wisdom.

The Experience-First Strategy

Rather than focusing solely on technical innovation, Brett implemented what he calls an experience-first approach: “My focus from a personnel perspective was bringing in the experience or the knowledgeable talent to surround it with an incredible product.”

This strategy emerged from a crucial insight about regulated markets: “When I look at the space right now, a lot of companies are good technology companies can build it, but you need to understand the exact vertical that you’re in and that buying customer.”

Building for Different Growth Stages

Brett’s talent strategy acknowledges that different growth stages require different types of talent. “To me, finding the right people in each stage of company is so important. We’re in that growth stage right now. In several years, we might hit the point that next stage of greater maturity where we have to focus on more people who are sop driven, who don’t necessarily want to wear multiple hats.”

This evolution in talent needs shaped three distinct phases:

1. Innovation Phase: “The first several years that was focused on innovative individuals”
2. Growth Phase: “We’ve hired people retain people who are experts in their space, who have been in growth companies and understand and appreciate wearing five different hats”
3. Maturity Phase: Planning for the future when they’ll need “more people who are sop driven”

The Technical-Industry Balance

One of the most interesting aspects of Datacubed Health’s talent strategy is how they balance technical expertise with industry experience. As Brett notes, “We really bring a lot of expertise and experience to make sure that you can do it safely so that the patients are safe and the data collected is accurate.”

This means looking for talent that understands both the technical requirements and the regulatory landscape. The goal isn’t just to build innovative solutions, but to build ones that can navigate the complex requirements of clinical trials.

Managing the Founder Transition

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of their talent evolution was managing the founder transition. “The founder of the company is a tremendous person, tremendous individual, beloved individual, hyper focused on the users and team members,” Brett acknowledges. However, scaling required different leadership approaches.

This led to what Brett describes as a pivotal decision: moving “from what id call founder and pure innovation into being more mainstreamed and growth focused.”

Building for Future Growth

Looking ahead, Brett’s talent strategy continues to evolve. Recent moves include bringing in “a new CTO” and “revamped some of the product team” to prepare for the next phase of growth. These changes align with their focus on “hitting the next level of patient data collection sophistication.”

For founders building in regulated markets, Datacubed Health’s talent strategy offers several key lessons:

1. Technical innovation alone isn’t enough – deep industry understanding is crucial
2. Different growth stages require different talent profiles
3. The ability to “wear multiple hats” is essential during the growth phase
4. Leadership needs evolve as the company matures

The story challenges the common startup narrative that prioritizes technical talent above all else. In regulated markets, success often depends more on finding people who understand the complex interplay between innovation, regulation, and market needs.

As Brett’s experience shows, building a successful team in regulated markets isn’t just about hiring the best engineers or the most experienced industry veterans – it’s about finding the right balance between innovation and practicality at each stage of growth.