Welcome back to Humans of Medicine - A podcast where we interview and learn about different types of people in medicine and research.

Today we’ve got Izzy, a kiwi doctor turned startup enthusiast, and all-round legend. After 2 years as a house officer, Izzy pivoted to learn about startups and work as a platform manager at Blackbird, an Aussie-to-NZ venture capital firm. Among other experiences, which we’ll go into more detail in the pod, she’s also building a newsletter called Bootstrapped - giving a fortnightly lowdown on NZ startups.

We chatted about her journey in figuring out what she’s passionate about, learning to take a risk on yourself, her experiences as a house officer, and the NZ startup ecosystem. Hope you enjoy!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact her at [email protected].

Timestamps:

0:44 Positive impact: From medicine to startups

7:18 The Dark Ages (House Officer Years)

9:02 Obstetrics, and the importance of patient education

13:19 Rockstar hobbies

15:20 Universal healthcare

16:16 Retaining future kiwi doctors

21:02 The growing NZ startup ecosystem

22:29 Cleantech

23:47 What’s missing in the NZ startup ecosystem?

25:11 Building Bootstrapped

27:04 Inspiration and passion

29:29 Understanding yourself and your assumptions