Pivot to success: Clipboard Health founder’s journey

Pivoting for Product-Market Fit

Y Combinator blog highlights that Clipboard Health’s founder Wei Deng went through “six to eight different pivots” before finding the right model. She originally planned an income-share program for professionals, then helped nursing students find jobs, and finally built the current app connecting healthcare workers to shifts. Deng’s key insight was to keep talking to people; for example, hearing nurses’ anxieties about job placement led to the pivot to staffing. In her experience, flexibility was crucial: each change brought her closer to product-market fit.

• Iterate often: Don’t be afraid to change direction multiple times. Clipboard Health’s founder admits she tried many concepts – 'six to eight pivots' – before landing on a winning idea.
• Listen to users: Direct customer conversations guided her pivots. Feedback from nurses shifted her focus to what customers really needed.