Chris Poole, CEO of Hatch, joined the LHC Cohort for an honest conversation about entrepreneurship, healthcare innovation, investing, leadership, and the realities of building companies in uncertain markets. Alongside moderator John Murdock, the discussion explored the tension between finance and operations, the changing future of healthcare, and the personal lessons that come with leading through growth, pivots, and pressure.
Building a Career by Following Curiosity
Poole described his career as “chasing what interested me,” beginning with early work in venture investing and healthcare startups through Jumpstart Foundry and family office investing. Coming from a healthcare family, with a father who built hospitals and a mother who worked as a nurse, he was exposed to healthcare early, but initially lacked exposure to the business side of the industry.
After earning an accounting degree and attending business school, Chris co-founded Medify Health, where he initially stepped into the CFO role before realizing his strengths were more aligned with leadership and company building. That transition eventually led him into CEO positions, including leading Thrive through a major strategic pivot and later working with Apollo Global Management and LifePoint Health on healthcare innovation initiatives before joining Hatch.
Throughout the conversation, Poole emphasized that careers are rarely linear and that many of the most important opportunities come from being willing to evolve alongside the market.
The Difference Between Investing and Operating
One of the central themes of the session was the disconnect that can exist between investors and operators.
Poole explained that investors often rely heavily on pattern recognition and financial models, while operators live in the reality of execution, uncertainty, hiring challenges, and changing market conditions. He compared the relationship to the difference between being a coach and being a player.
While investors can build compelling strategies and forecasts, operators are the ones forced to navigate the unpredictable realities of implementing them in real time.
He stressed that the healthiest relationships between investors and operators are rooted in shared assumptions, measurable planning, and constant communication. Rather than arguing about high-level growth goals, Poole believes both sides should focus on the operational math underneath the plan — pipeline requirements, hiring timelines, ramp periods, and measurable business drivers.
At the same time, he challenged finance professionals to better understand the realities of operating a company, calling startup leadership “the most brutal thing” he has ever done.
Conviction, Pivots, and Listening to the Market
Poole shared one of the defining moments of his career while leading Thrive. Originally positioned as a staffing business, Poole noticed that customers consistently showed more interest in the company’s education offerings than the staffing services themselves.
Despite skepticism from investors and board members, he remained convinced there was a larger opportunity in healthcare education and workforce development. That conviction ultimately led the company through a successful pivot toward education services.
He explained that his confidence did not come from intuition alone — it came from repeated customer validation. Poole repeatedly emphasized that customer behavior matters more than investor opinions, market hype, or industry consensus.
That customer-driven mindset became one of the strongest themes throughout the discussion. Poole encouraged the group to pay close attention to where customers naturally gravitate, even if it conflicts with the original business plan.
The Future of Healthcare and AI
The conversation also explored the growing uncertainty surrounding the future of healthcare.
Poole candidly shared concerns about the long-term sustainability of many hospital systems, noting that healthcare leaders today appear far less confident about predicting the next decade than they were in the past. He suggested that many organizations are privately wrestling with questions about what hospitals, care delivery, and reimbursement models will look like ten years from now.
On value-based care, Poole acknowledged that while the concept remains compelling, many models have not yet delivered the outcomes the industry expected.
The discussion also touched heavily on artificial intelligence and its impact on healthcare technology. Poole noted that AI is dramatically accelerating the speed of product development and lowering barriers to entry for software companies. However, he argued that technology alone is no longer enough to differentiate businesses.
Instead, companies that succeed will be the ones focused on solving meaningful operational problems and integrating into customer workflows.
He also made the point that healthcare operators care far less about whether a product uses AI and far more about whether it actually solves a problem.
Leadership, Mentorship, and Hard Decisions
Another major theme throughout the session was leadership maturity and decision-making.
Poole reflected on moments when more experienced leaders challenged his thinking early in his career — including advice he initially resisted but later realized was correct. One of the biggest lessons was understanding that healthcare is fundamentally a human business, not simply a technology business.
He also discussed the importance of mentors who ask difficult questions rather than simply prescribing answers. According to Poole, the best mentors and board members force leaders to think more critically instead of telling them exactly what to do.
The conversation closed with reflections on ambition, fulfillment, and chasing the “next big thing.” Chris openly shared that one of the biggest mistakes of his career was leaving a company where he was fulfilled in pursuit of a more prestigious opportunity. While the move increased compensation and visibility, he admitted it came at a significant personal and financial cost.
His advice to the cohort was clear: don’t confuse glamour, prestige, or logos with meaningful work or long-term fulfillment.
Closing Takeaways
Throughout the session, Chris Poole offered a candid look into the realities of entrepreneurship and healthcare leadership. Rather than presenting a polished version of success, he focused on the uncertainty, tension, and constant recalibration required to build companies and lead teams effectively.
The session provided the cohort with an unfiltered perspective on leadership, innovation, and what it truly takes to build sustainable businesses in healthcare.
Learn more about the Nashville Health Care Council