How Physicians Become Health Tech Founders with Dr. Jhonatan Bringas Dimitriades

In this episode of Startup Physicians, Dr. Alison Curfman interviews Dr. Jhonatan Bringas Dimitriades, a Peruvian physician whose global journey led him from clinical practice in Latin America to recertifying in the Netherlands and ultimately becoming a health tech CEO.

Jhonatan shares how he navigated the challenge of learning Dutch, rebuilding his medical career abroad, and entering the world of health tech without a formal business background. His curiosity and clinical expertise propelled him through roles in product management and business development before co-founding Keiku, an AI-powered digital stethoscope and ambient scribe designed to transform how clinicians capture and interpret patient data.

Together, they explore the realities of building hardware as a physician founder, the power of partnerships, the importance of embracing imperfect MVPs, and the many translatable skills physicians already possess that prepare them for startup leadership. This episode offers a clear, inspiring look at what’s possible when physicians step into innovation.

00:00 – Introduction & Global Background
01:10 – Training in Latin America & Moving to Europe
03:05 – Recertifying in Dutch
04:55 – Entering Health Tech as a Medical Advisor
07:15 – Physicians’ Translatable Skills
10:20 – Growing into Business & Startup Roles
13:35 – The Origin of Keiku
18:10 – What Keiku Is & What It Does
22:50 – AI, Auscultation, and Documentation
26:15 – How Hardware Gets Built
29:25 – Advice for Physician Innovators
30:50 – Startup Physicians Pathways & Closing

Jhonathan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbringasd/

Keikku Smart Stethoscope - https://www.keikku.health/

In the free Physician Founder Roadmap webinar, we’ll share how physicians can begin evaluating their ideas and understand what it takes to bring them to market.

Mark your calendar for October 22 at 12 PM CT / 1 PM ET and join us for the webinar!

Create a venture-ready concept pitch in just 45 minutes! Join our free AI session designed for practicing physicians, where we guide you through the concept-assessment process used in the Startup Physicians Incubator.
 
Download the guide, open it with Claude, and you'll end up with a one-page pitch ready to share with an advisor, investor, or selection committee.

A six-month program that takes a practicing physician’s idea to an investor-ready company. Cohort 2 starts January 2027.