Dr. Indra Joshi began her career as a doctor in emergency medicine. Today, she is a world-leading expert in digital health and AI technologies and a member of the Upliift Healthcare Advisory Board. In our conversation, she reflects on how her deep healthcare experience is helping Upliift’s niche software businesses navigate the complex space and expand into new territories.    

Spotlight on

• Success in healthcare tech goes beyond great products – Niche software providers must focus on implementation, staff capacity, and the human factor—winning hearts and minds to drive adoption.
• Regulatory complexity is a major hurdle – Understanding compliance requirements in different regions is challenging but getting it right can be a game-changer for market expansion.
• Case studies and customer success stories matter – Demonstrating real-world impact with strong references can significantly improve credibility and unlock new opportunities.
• Strategic healthcare expertise is invaluable – Navigating the nuances of healthcare markets requires both clinical and strategic insights—this is where I can add value.

Our Conversation

Tell us a bit about your background.

I trained as an emergency medicine doctor in London, which meant being right in the thick of things—blood, guts, all of it. I loved it, and I’ve always enjoyed being around people. But I also realised how hard it was to implement lasting change at a departmental level in hospitals.

My curiosity about how to effect change led me to the government. I worked at the Department for Work and Pensions as a senior medical advisor during the rollout of reforms like the Personal Indepent Payment and WCA, helping implement complex changes and learning how large systems adapt.

From there, I joined a remote prescription and test kit start-up—well before these services became mainstream. We expanded from 12 to over 70 people in a market at the time devoid of regulations or standards.

That experience inspired me to return to government and help develop standards in digital health technologies and AI. I rejoined the government, leading the NHS AI Lab, a £250 million initiative to develop and deploy over 100 AI technologies into UK healthcare while determining the right ethical guidance and regulations to protect patients.

Later, I joined the software company Palantir Technologies to enable better use of data to impact health and care.

How did you come to be involved with Upliift?

A colleague involved with Boardwave introduced me to Alex, Upliift’s CEO. It was clear Upliift was serious about building software businesses in healthcare. But the team wanted more deep healthcare expertise. It was perfect timing—the fit was right for both me and Upliift, and we got started immediately.

What is your role at Upliift?

Founders want to know that a prospective investor has the expertise needed to help them grow. My role is to help Upliift’s healthcare software companies understand the bigger picture and avoid common pitfalls when selling into complex healthcare markets like the NHS.

I help Upliift’s companies navigate these nuances, providing the clinical and strategic perspectives that are hard to find unless you’ve worked both on the inside and in the private sector.

What are the key challenges companies face when selling into healthcare?

Healthcare is a tough market. For niche software providers, it’s not just about having a great product or service—it’s about implementation, staff capacity, efficiencies and winning hearts and minds.

Public healthcare systems like the NHS can be complex entities. Understanding and navigating who the decision-makers are, which processes you need to follow and comply with and who the budget holders are, can be a minefield.

There’s also the problem of finite resources. The system is under a lot of pressure and often simply doesn’t have the staff or budgets quickly available to throw at problems. If a team is asking for budget, being able to to show where the cost-saving will come from to offset the investment can be key to sway decision makers. Saving time doesn’t always equate to saving cost.

What are the obstacles to expanding into new regions?

Selling into the UK or other European markets means understanding different regulatory frameworks, commissioning pathways, and local priorities. It can be an uphill battle if your solution touches multiple pathways—or is a completely new category.

On the flip side, strong case studies and happy customers certainly help to open doors elsewhere.

You touched on regulatory barriers; can you expand on that?

Regulations vary in healthcare across different geographies and is dependent on what product you are building. Often there is a lack of awareness or knowledge of the different frameworks that apply to different products especially within the context of AI and medical devices.

How can Upliift’s focus on healthcare help?

Upliift is great at finding “boring but critical” technology—the kind of software that quietly solves real problems. In healthcare, that’s in often niche areas like sterilisation or logistics that might not sound exciting but are absolutely essential.

The challenge is making these technologies compelling. I’ve done this before—turning niche, seemingly boring solutions into must-haves by positioning them effectively. With Upliift, I’m excited to help shape those narratives and support our portfolio companies in scaling their innovations.

What’s the role of AI in healthcare right now?

There’s a lot of hype around AI, but it’s not a magic bullet. While AI has potential, many solutions still face real-world challenges in implementation. As I mentioned earlier, if a technology promises to save thousands of hours, NHS managers will ask: “Where’s the cost saving if I’m still paying my staff?”

Any advice for HealthTech companies entering new markets?

If your solution is well-defined—like RFID tagging—it’s usually easier to slot into an existing pathway. But introducing something totally new that doesn’t have an existing pathway can be much harder. One of the biggest mistakes I see is companies digitising broken processes without improving them. Just because it’s on a screen doesn’t mean it’s better.

Success requires not just great technology but also the ability to guide healthcare professionals through the change process – and that’s where really good companies can stand out.