Head of Corporate Development

Overview

This is a full-time, on-site corporate development leadership role at a stealth-stage healthcare AI startup in San Mateo, California. The company is building technology to help physicians launch, run, and expand independent practices, with the broader aim of improving care delivery over a multi-decade horizon.

About the Company

The team is small, fast-moving, and focused on deep problem-solving, strong execution, craftsmanship, and a customer-first mindset. The founders combine backgrounds in medicine, product, operations, and engineering, and have previously built and scaled multiple products and businesses from zero to one, including companies that reached over $1B in valuation, $60M+ in annual recurring revenue, and 100M+ monthly active users.

The organization’s belief is that the future of healthcare will be shaped by empowered physicians rather than large, bureaucratic systems. By reducing the barriers to practice ownership, the company aims to help doctors operate independently and deliver better care.

The team also includes builders, physicians, and operators with decades of combined healthcare and technology experience, including more than 30 years of direct experience running successful independent practices such as urgent care centers and surgical centers. In addition, the founders have contributed to products used at massive scale at companies including Meta, Dropbox, Instagram, Coda, and Nomad.

Traction

• The business has already established strong product-market fit, with more than $10MM in ARR achieved in under 14 months.
• It is profitable and backed by leading healthcare-focused venture investors.
• The company is now looking for an M&A finance operator who can help expand the business to hundreds of customers and take ownership of a function, process, or business area from initial setup through scale.

Role Summary

The Head of Corporate Development will serve as the company’s first M&A hire and help design and build the acquisition engine for one target vertical of service-based businesses. This person will work closely with the CEO and COO to identify opportunities, shape acquisition strategy, execute diligence and transactions, and plan post-close value creation.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish the acquisition strategy and build the sourcing system for a chosen vertical of service businesses.
• Create a complete market map and develop a strong understanding of the available opportunity set.
• Design and operate a proprietary sourcing process for service companies with roughly $2M to $25M in EBITDA.
• Develop a practical operating playbook for the vertical, including the operating model, margin structure, core workflows, technology opportunities, and a six-month transformation plan.
• Assess how software, automation, and AI agents can improve service businesses by reducing manual work, improving customer outcomes, increasing throughput, and creating more scalable operations.
• Partner directly with the CEO and COO on strategy, sourcing, diligence, transaction execution, and post-close value creation planning.

Candidate Profile

• 3 to 7 years of experience in private equity, corporate development, search, investment banking, or another deal-focused role.
• Hands-on experience sourcing service-based businesses, preferably through proprietary or thematic outreach.
• Experience building market maps, finding acquisition targets, conducting outreach, qualifying opportunities, and managing a deal pipeline.
• Strong understanding of what makes $2M to $25M EBITDA service businesses attractive, including margin profile, customer concentration, retention, labor structure, workflow complexity, and growth drivers.
• Ability to identify how technology can reshape service businesses, especially where AI agents can automate manual tasks, improve delivery, and create operating leverage.
• Comfort turning market research and diligence into a clear acquisition thesis, technology roadmap, and operating plan.

Who Will Thrive Here

• Self-driven people with strong initiative and sustained motivation.
• Independent thinkers who can build a strategic plan and execute it from start to finish.
• People who are comfortable with ambiguous, complex, and abstract problems.
• Tinkerers who enjoy building products and solutions that feel exceptional to users.
• Collaborative teammates who are enjoyable to work with and value long-term commitment.
• Candidates who want to help build a lasting company with a 30-year vision rather than chase a fast exit.

Additional Information

The company is not pursuing a quick flip or short-term exit. Its goal is to transform healthcare over the long term by building durable systems and empowering independent physicians.