An early-stage, AI-driven cancer-diagnostics startup had just closed a $2M round and needed to build its commercial function from zero, ahead of a product launch — with investors watching to see if the company could actually execute on go-to-market. Zifcare ran the search and closed the role in about a month, with a shortlist of only three candidates, comfortably inside budget.
Company: A stealth-mode HealthTech startup building AI-driven diagnostics for early cancer detection.
Challenge: The company needed a VP or Head of Sales to establish commercial partnerships, build a sales function from scratch, and drive product adoption inside a genuinely complex healthcare buying ecosystem — hospitals, diagnostic networks, and payers, all at once.
Role: VP / Head of Sales, full-time, remote.
Ideal candidate profile: 10+ years in HealthTech, MedTech or diagnostics sales; a proven record selling into healthcare enterprises; and a genuine blend of strategic vision with hands-on operational execution.
Zifcare drew candidates through three channels: specialized healthcare executive-search networks, targeted outreach on LinkedIn, and referrals sourced through the company's own investor network.
| Candidate | Current role | Key qualifications | Notice period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate X | Sales Head, emergency-care platform | Scaled to ₹40Cr annual revenue; 120+ hospital partnerships | 30 days |
| Candidate Y | Growth Head, healthcare IT solutions provider | Managed a $10M portfolio; led a 34-member commercial team | Negotiable (30–60 days) |
| Candidate ZSelected | Key Accounts lead, digital-health unicorn | Managed a ₹60Cr P&L; prior founder experience in healthtech | 60 days |
The client chose Candidate Z for a combination that's rare to find in one person: deep relationships across the healthcare ecosystem — hospitals, labs, and insurers; a genuine founder mentality shaped by prior startup experience; and proven P&L ownership inside a complex sales environment.
The final offer was structured as base salary plus performance equity plus sales-milestone bonuses — designed to reward the build phase, not just steady-state selling.
This is the exact shape of search Zifcare runs for funded startups.