In digital health, product-market fit means nothing if you can’t navigate the minefield of payers, providers, and regulations. Your idea might be revolutionary—but if your go-to-market (GTM) plan sounds like “we’ll sell to hospitals,” you’re not getting funded.
A killer GTM isn’t just a slide in your deck. It’s your blueprint for survival.
This guide breaks down how digital health startups should think about—and execute—a go-to-market strategy that actually works.
1. The Digital Health Sales Landscape Is Not SaaS
Here’s the rookie mistake: treating hospitals like B2B buyers.
Unlike traditional SaaS:
- Sales cycles are longer (9–24 months is not uncommon)
- Buyers are not always the users
- Budgets are often locked behind committees or public procurement
- Pilots are required (and often unpaid)
So your GTM strategy has to reflect reality—not a fantasy chart from Y Combinator.
2. Define Your First Wedge Market
Every great GTM starts with a wedge: a narrow, specific entry point into the market.
- Condition-specific: e.g. Type 2 diabetes remote monitoring
- User-specific: e.g. nurse navigators, not C-suite
- Setting-specific: e.g. outpatient mental health clinics in urban areas
You don’t sell “to healthcare.” You sell to someone specific, with a burning problem and a budget.
3. Choose a Commercial Model That Matches Your Reality
Your GTM plan must be shaped by who pays you.
- B2B (Hospitals, Systems): Long sales cycles, needs a champion
- Payer (Insurance): Data-driven ROI critical; prefer value-based models
- Employers: Must solve absenteeism, productivity, or claims
- B2C (Patients): High churn, high CAC, but fast feedback
- Hybrid: Common, but requires careful messaging
Investors will ask: “Why this model, and can it scale?”
4. Plan for Pilots—But Use Them Strategically
Pilots are often necessary—but they can kill momentum.
Here’s how to make them work:
- Timebox the scope (e.g. 90-day engagement)
- Define success metrics upfront
- Make renewal/expansion path clear
- Charge if possible—even a little
VCs don’t expect enterprise deals at pre-seed. But they do expect clarity on how you’ll convert pilots into revenue.
5. Messaging That Works in Health
No one wants another buzzword-salad pitch.
Instead:
- Lead with the clinical or operational pain
- Quantify the problem in dollars or outcomes
- Show quick wins (low lift, fast impact)
- Use case studies—not hypotheticals
Great decks show how your language matches what buyers already say.
6. Sales Motion: Who’s Knocking on the Door?
Your first hires matter. You probably don’t need a VP of Sales yet. You do need:
- A founder who can sell
- Someone with a healthcare rolodex
- A scrappy BD lead who can open conversations
Selling into hospitals without experience? Partner up. Co-sell with consultants or channel partners who already have the trust.
7. GTM Metrics That Actually Matter
VCs and advisors want to see:
- Sales cycle length (and how it’s improving)
- Pilot-to-contract conversion rate
- Average deal size and margin
- Time to onboard + show value
Bonus: show how you shorten cycles or increase expansion over time.
8. Mr. Kim’s GTM Pattern Recognition
Having reviewed over 2,300 digital health startups, Mr. Min-Sung Sean Kim often sees:
Green flags:
- Clear ICP (ideal customer profile)
- Wedge-first GTM with a path to scale
- Commercial model that aligns with clinical or policy trends (e.g. value-based care)
- Case studies from early pilots
Red flags:
- “We’ll go viral among doctors”
- “We’ll just do paid ads for patients”
- “Hospitals will buy this because it’s innovative”
Final Word: GTM Is Strategy, Not a Slide
Your go-to-market isn’t a checkbox. It’s the clearest signal of whether you understand the messiness of healthcare—and whether you’ll survive past demo day.
Treat it like the strategy it is.
Want to sharpen the rest of your investor narrative? Check out:
- VC Fundraising Guide
- Investor-Ready Data Room Guide
- Top Pitch Mistakes Founders Make
- How to Find the Right VC
He has invested in startups including American Well, Neuronation, Mimi, and most notably mySugr – which was recently acquired by Roche. Min-Sung is also a contributing writer for mediums including TechCrunch and Tech.EU and studied Business Economics at Witten/Herdecke, Harvard, St.Gallen, and in Seoul.