Kai Van Lieshout, founder of Lyrebird, knows what it really takes to build one of Australia’s fastest growing health tech companies. In this episode, Kai shares the unexpected challenges of innovating in an industry where the stakes are high, the systems are complex, and new technology often lags years behind other sectors.

He talks about the human side of adoption - why earning trust from doctors and hospitals was the hardest part, and how deeply understanding clinicians’ pain points became Lyrebird’s superpower. He reflects on the surreal moment when doctors not only embraced the software but pushed their own hospitals to implement it.

We also explore the realities of raising $12M in capital, the opportunity costs behind that decision, and how he balanced growth with solving real-world problems for practitioners. It’s a thoughtful, grounded window into building mission-driven technology in one of the most challenging environments there is.