A Fireside Chat with Glen Tullman on Navigating Healthcare’s Most Dynamic Era
Visionary leader Glen Tullman, CEO of Transcarent and co-founding Partner of 7wire Ventures, joined StartUp Health community members for a candid conversation about the shifting healthcare landscape, what founders must do to stay close to customers, and why simplifying the consumer experience is the surest path to progress.
The Macro Shakeup: A Landscape Full of Change and Opportunity
Tullman opened with a blunt assessment of the current state of health innovation. “It is a mess,” he said. Regulation is shifting quickly, employers are showing fatigue with point solutions, cost containment is rising back to the top of the priority list, and benefits once on the rise, like GLP-1 coverage, are suddenly being cut. The outcome is a system changing faster than anyone expected.
Yet volatility creates opportunity. His advice for founders: stay very close to customers, pay attention to the signals, and move before the environment moves on you.
The Founder Mindset: “Why Not Today”
For Tullman, urgency is non-negotiable. On his desk sits a quote that guides his approach: “Every day the world turns upside down on someone who thought they were sitting on top of it.” Founders cannot assume tomorrow will look like today.
He encouraged CEOs to measure their daily connections with partners and customers and to ask constantly what would make something possible right now instead of next week. Deals can disappear with one announcement from Washington or a shift in an employer’s budget. Time is the most strategic asset a founder has.
The Consumer Experience Must Finally Come First
The principle that drives Transcarent’s experience is simple. Everything people do is on their phone, so healthcare should be too. High-quality care should be easy to access and easy to afford. Tullman described a healthcare experience that removes unnecessary hurdles rather than layering on more. Instead of asking people to navigate complex websites or locate hidden benefits, Transcarent meets them where they are. Users can simply say what they need. From there, the platform handles the rest.
This approach works not because it is new, but because it reflects what consumers already expect in every other part of their lives.
Platforms Win Only When They Unlock Value
Despite the shift toward integrated platforms, Tullman emphasized that point solutions do work when people can access them. The issue is not the innovation, it is the friction. Even high-quality programs go unused if they sit behind multiple clicks, confusing entry points, or unfriendly onboarding.
His view is that the winners will be the companies that help people discover and use the right solution at exactly the right moment. The easier it is to start, the more care becomes part of everyday life rather than a scheduled event.
What Investors Like Tullman Look For
When deciding whether to back a company, Tullman starts with clarity. A founder should be able to explain the value in a few words. He also looks for differentiation, not just a better version of the same approach. He wants to see something that stands apart because it is designed differently.
Most importantly, he looks for purpose and founders who are driven by personal connection to the problem they are solving. In his experience, the most durable companies are built by people who do not have an exit strategy so much as a clear vision and a mission that cannot wait.
Engagement Is Everything
The theme that surfaced again and again throughout the conversation was engagement. No matter how good a product is, it cannot make an impact if people do not use it. Tullman encouraged founders to continually test, learn, and refine the experience. He suggested watching what actually captures attention in the first few seconds of contact. Messaging should adapt to different audiences. Features should prove their value immediately.
The ultimate measure, he said, comes down to activation, utilization, and retention. If those three are working, everything else has a chance to work too.
A Shared Responsibility to Fix What Is Broken
As the conversation closed, Tullman reminded the community why this work matters. Healthcare requires bold change, and founders have the privilege of driving it. He left the group with a line he credits to Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, “Somebody has to do something and it is just pathetic that it has to be us.” As he points out, though, there is nothing pathetic about stepping up to lead.
The commitment to build what consumers actually need is the thread that ties these entrepreneurs together. Tullman believes that is why this group will win.
Join These Conversations Live
This Fireside Chat was hosted exclusively for StartUp Health community members, giving founders direct access to leaders who are shaping the future of health. It is an opportunity to ask real questions, get honest feedback, and build relationships that accelerate progress.
If you are building a company that will transform healthcare, this is where you will find the partners, peers, and mentors who believe in your mission. Join the community, pull up a virtual chair, and take part in the conversations that move our industry forward.
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Published: Nov 14, 2025
Produced by Nicole Kinsey
