Building the World's Most-used Medical AI | Dr. Thomas Kelly of Heidi - E716

Building the World's Most-used Medical AI | Dr. Thomas Kelly of Heidi - E716

Author: Jeremy Au July 27, 2026 Duration: 46:13

Dr. Thomas Kelly was a vascular surgery trainee in Melbourne before he walked away from medicine to fix the problem he hated most: paperwork stealing time from patients. Today he is co-founder and CEO of Heidi Health, an AI medical scribe and "care partner" used by clinicians in more than 100 countries, valued at US$465M after its 2025 Series B led by Point72.

In this episode, Jeremy Au and Dr. Tom break down how GPT-4 nearly destroyed the company, forcing a brutal pivot from an AI model company into a product company, and how that near-death moment led to becoming one of the world's most-used healthcare AI tools. They dig into why great AI scribing is far harder than a demo, how Heidi is expanding into clinical decision support and medical-device territory, why he isn't scared of OpenAI in healthcare, and why Singapore, Japan, and the rest of Asia are core to the roadmap.

A must-watch for founders, venture capitalists, and operators building AI, health tech, and vertical software across Southeast Asia.

Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/heidi-health-tom-kelly 


BRAVE is Southeast Asia's leading tech podcast, hosted by Jeremy Au. Honest conversations with the region's top founders, investors, and operators on building startups in Southeast Asia.

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#HealthcareAI #AIScribe #FounderStory #AIinHealthcare #StartupPivot #SoutheastAsia #VentureCapital


00:00 – From vascular surgery to AI: meet Dr. Tom Kelly

01:38 – Why he became a doctor: the "platonic ideal" GP

02:55 – Maths, machine learning, and the pre-med detour

04:22 – GAMSAT YouTube videos to his first business

07:06 – Building Oscer, an early AI clinical tutor

08:58 – Why doctor paperwork is a capacity crisis

13:05 – Is an AI scribe easy or hard to build?

17:35 – From scribe to full AI care partner

18:28 – Clinical AI and medical device regulation

21:32 – Roadmap: tasks, primitives, and on-prem hardware

26:24 – Going global: Singapore, Japan, and Asia

28:50 – Localizing for Malay, Hokkien, and Singlish

32:52 – Why clinicians drive the innovation

34:21 – The GPT-4 pivot that nearly ended Heidi

37:20 – Competing with OpenAI and how to run a pivot


There’s a unique energy building across Southeast Asia, a sense of possibility that’s palpable from Singapore’s skyscrapers to the bustling streets of Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur. BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech captures that momentum by going beyond the headlines and funding announcements. Host Jeremy Au, a venture capitalist and serial founder with a background from Harvard and Berkeley, steers these conversations with a distinct perspective-one that balances the hard metrics of growth with the very human elements of leadership and personal development. Each episode feels like a candid, in-depth dialogue, whether he’s speaking with a first-time founder navigating early traction or a seasoned investor mapping regional trends. You’ll hear genuine stories about building companies, the tough lessons learned from failures, and the often-overlooked journey of staying grounded while scaling rapidly. This isn’t about presenting a polished facade of success; it’s about the real work of creating something meaningful. With over eighty thousand regular listeners, this podcast has become a key resource for anyone invested in the region’s tech ecosystem. Jeremy brings his own experiences as a sci-fi enthusiast and a father into the mix, often exploring how broader perspectives on the future and empathy shape better leaders. Tune in for practical insights on venture capital, entrepreneurship, and management, all framed within the vibrant and complex tapestry of Southeast Asia. New conversations arrive every Monday, offering a thoughtful pause to reflect on how we build what’s next.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech: Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand & Malaysia Startups, Founders & Venture Capital VC (English)
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