HFA (Health for America) presents a 47-slide curriculum deck that functions more as an operational syllabus than a traditional investor pitch. The deck is organized into four distinct tracks: Health, Design, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership. It provides a granular checklist for fellows, ranging from understanding disease states and regulatory pathways (Slide 7) to mastering lean startup methodologies (Slide 33). While the deck is exhaustive in its educational scope, citing dozens of external resources and specific learning objectives, it lacks traditional startup metrics such as traction, tea…
Key takeaways
- The curriculum is built on four pillars: Health, Design, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership, as shown in the table of contents (Slide 3).
- The Health track requires fellows to interview at least 30 individuals across diverse roles, including physicians, social workers, and insurance administrators (Slide 9).
- Design methodology is heavily influenced by IDEO and Acumen, specifically focusing on human-centered design for social change (Slide 19).
- The program utilizes the Lean Canvas model to explore business feasibility and industry trends (Slide 33).
- Fellows are expected to create a 'Final Portfolio' that includes a demo of the concept and feedback from users (Slide 29).
- The Entrepreneurship track includes a comprehensive reading list featuring titles like 'The Lean Startup' and 'Zero to One' (Slide 31).
- A significant emphasis is placed on regulatory knowledge, including FDA review processes and quality control testing (Slide 35).
- The Leadership pillar focuses on personal branding, networking, and recruiting a personal 'Board of Directors' (Slide 47).
Overview of the HFA Curriculum Deck
The HFA (Health for America) Curriculum deck is a 47-slide document that serves as a pedagogical framework for a fellowship program. Unlike a traditional seed or Series A pitch deck, this presentation is designed to communicate the depth and rigor of the program's educational requirements. It is divided into four core tracks: Health, Design, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership . The deck uses a consistent structure for each module, defining the 'Purpose' of the lesson and providing a list of 'Resources' for further study.
The Health Pillar: Navigating the Ecosystem
The Health section begins on Slide 5 and establishes a high bar for industry knowledge. Slide 7 features a 'Health Checklist' that requires fellows to understand disease states, identify stakeholders, and map cost drivers within the healthcare ecosystem. A notable requirement on Slide 9 is the mandate to spend at least 30 minutes with individuals from over 30 different categories, ranging from Primary Care Physicians to Military Health providers . This emphasis on primary research suggests the program prioritizes boots-on-the-ground insights over secondary data.
Slide 11 focuses on the financial and regulatory mechanics of healthcare. It lists resources for learning about fee-for-service versus fee-for-value models, as well as the drug and medical device development process. By including resources from the Kaiser Family Foundation and Khan Academy, the curriculum ensures fellows have a baseline understanding of policy and insurance before attempting to innovate.
The Design Pillar: Human-Centered Innovation
The Design track, starting on Slide 15, adopts the principles of Human-Centered Design (HCD) . Slide 19 points fellows toward Acumen and IDEO.org courses, signaling a commitment to established social innovation methodologies. The curriculum moves from 'Defining the Challenge' to 'Developing a Team Charter,' ensuring that the collaborative aspects of design are formalized.
Slide 23 introduces the concept of 'Interpreting Learnings and Framing Opportunities.' It includes a visual example of a Starbucks Experience Map to illustrate how touchpoints and emotional baselines are tracked across a customer journey. This section culminates in Slide 29, where fellows are tasked with creating a 'Final Portfolio' and a 'Solution Roadmap' that covers development, marketing, fundraising, and legal strategy. The inclusion of a 'Final Portfolio' requirement suggests the program is output-oriented, aiming for tangible prototypes rather than just theoretical exercises.
The Entrepreneurship Pillar: Building a Viable Business
The Entrepreneurship track (Slide 30) shifts the focus from design to commercialization. Slide 31 provides a comprehensive 'Booklist' that includes startup staples such as The Lean Startup by Eric Ries and Zero to One by Peter Thiel. This section is designed to move fellows from an idea to a business model.
Slide 33 introduces the Lean Canvas , a one-page business plan template that forces fellows to identify their unique value proposition, unfair advantage, and cost structure. The curriculum also addresses the 'unsexy' but critical parts of health tech, such as FDA regulatory reviews and quality control (Slide 35). Slide 37 is particularly dense, offering dozens of links to resources on fundraising strategy, equity math, and pitch deck creation. This indicates that while the program is educational, it is specifically geared toward preparing fellows for the venture capital ecosystem.
The Leadership Pillar: Personal and Professional Growth
The final pillar, Leadership, begins on Slide 40. This section is less about the startup and more about the founder. It includes modules on establishing a positive team dynamic (Slide 43), providing and receiving feedback (Slide 45), and storytelling (Slide 47). A unique requirement on Slide 47 is for fellows to 'Recruit a Personal Board of Directors,' a strategy intended to foster long-term mentorship and professional accountability.
What Works in This Deck
Granular Structure: The four-pillar framework provides a clear and logical progression from empathy and research to business modeling and leadership. · Resource Density: The deck functions as a curated library. By citing specific books, articles, and courses, HFA demonstrates a commitment to high-quality, evidence-based learning. · Stakeholder Mapping: The requirement to interview 30+ different types of healthcare professionals (Slide 9) is a standout feature that ensures fellows are not innovating in a vacuum. · Regulatory Focus: Unlike many generalist accelerators, this curriculum explicitly includes FDA and legal basics (Slide 35), which are non-negotiable for healthcare startups.
What Is Missing
Program Outcomes: While the curriculum is detailed, the deck does not show the results of previous cohorts. There are no mentions of companies launched, capital raised by alumni, or specific health outcomes achieved. · Team and Mentors: The deck does not list the instructors, program directors, or the 'clinical partners' mentioned in the text. Investors generally want to know who is delivering the curriculum. · Selection Criteria: There is no information on how fellows are chosen or what the 'Pre-Fellowship Experience' (Slide 31) entails in terms of prerequisites. · Financial Ask: As a curriculum deck, it lacks a slide explaining the program's business model—is it a non-profit, does it take equity, or is it tuition-based?
Founder Takeaways
Founders building in the healthcare space can learn a great deal from the Health Checklist on Slide 7. It serves as a reminder that a 'cool app' is useless if it doesn't account for reimbursement models, stakeholder dynamics, and regulatory hurdles. The emphasis on Human-Centered Design (Slide 19) is also a critical lesson: innovation must start with a deep understanding of the user's pain points, documented through journey maps and stakeholder interviews.
Finally, the Leadership section (Slide 47) offers a valuable piece of advice for any founder: the importance of a 'Personal Board of Directors.' Building a startup is an isolating experience, and formalizing a group of mentors to provide feedback and accountability is a best practice that transcends the healthcare sector.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this a standard startup pitch deck?
- No. This is a curriculum deck for a fellowship program. It does not contain a problem/solution statement for a specific product, market sizing, or a request for capital. Instead, it outlines the educational journey and requirements for participants in the Health for America program.
- What is the primary methodology used in the Design section?
- The deck leans heavily on Human-Centered Design (HCD). Slide 19 specifically references resources from Acumen and IDEO.org, focusing on tools for social change and building prototyping skills to understand how and when to test ideas with users.
- How does the program handle the complexity of the healthcare industry?
- The Health pillar (Slide 7) requires fellows to develop a holistic understanding of the '4 Ps': providers, patients, payors, and pharmaceuticals/medical devices. It mandates deep-dive research into disease states, reimbursement models, and regulatory experts.
- What are the expected outputs for a fellow in this program?
- According to Slide 29, fellows must produce a 'Final Portfolio.' This includes an introduction to the problem with statistics, a demo of the concept, user feedback, recommendations, and a 'Solution Roadmap' covering development, marketing, and fundraising.
- Does the deck provide resources for fundraising?
- Yes, Slide 37 provides an extensive list of resources for understanding startup fundraising, including equity math, angel investing, and how to create a pitch deck, though it does not list the company's own investors.
