Thomas Kelly, a 33-year-old former vascular surgery trainee from Melbourne, Australia, walked away from medicine in 2021 amid crushing burnout. Today, he leads Heidi Health, an AI-powered medical scribe valued at $465 million following a $65 million Series B funding round announced in October. The company’s tool listens to patient consultations, generates clinical notes, and handles administrative tasks, freeing clinicians from paperwork that consumes up to two hours per day.

Kelly’s journey began with idealism. After graduating from the University of Melbourne in 2017, he envisioned deep patient connections but faced reality: 10-minute appointments, 100 patients daily, and endless coordination of tests. ‘My time as a doctor [was] very constrained,’ Kelly told CNBC. This mismatch sparked his pivot to technology.

Roots in Medicine and Early AI Experiments

Inspired by his primary care doctor, Kelly pursued medicine despite interests in math and computer science. During medical school, he launched a YouTube channel and tutoring service for aspiring doctors, which exploded in popularity. To scale, he built ‘Oscar,’ an AI interview tutor used by 20,000 students by 2020. ‘That was the seed that grew into Heidi,’ Kelly said in the CNBC interview.

Oscar’s conversational AI revealed potential beyond education. Kelly realized it could parse doctor-patient dialogues for notes, diagnoses, and tasks. ‘It’s a very advanced, very technical, deep, complicated conversation, but it’s still a conversation,’ he noted. This insight came amid his own exhaustion in vascular surgery training.

The High-Stakes Leap from Scalpel to Startup

In 2021, Kelly faced a crossroads: commit to surgery or bet on AI. ‘I’ll regret it forever if I don’t take this chance,’ he recalled thinking. Leveraging his rare blend of medical, math, and business skills, he co-founded Heidi. The tool launched in February 2024, quickly supporting over 20 million patient interactions and 1 million weekly consults by March 2025, per Heidi Health’s blog.

Heidi operates ambiently, capturing audio without storing recordings, ensuring compliance with global privacy rules. It transcribes visits, drafts notes, and automates evidence searches, addressing clinician overload. Dr. Kelly, in a Series B announcement, emphasized: ‘Clinicians are overwhelmed by an unsustainable administrative workload that destroys their wellbeing.’

Fuel from Top-Tier Investors

Heidi’s traction drew capital. A $16.6 million Series A extension in March 2025 valued it highly, followed by the $65 million Series B led by Point72 Private Investments, Steve Cohen’s family office. Other backers included Blackbird Ventures. TechCrunch reported the round pushes total funding near $100 million, with proceeds for global expansion and product enhancement.

The pitch deck, revealed by Business Insider, highlighted Heidi’s edge in the competitive ambient documentation field against Abridge and Ambience Healthcare. It emphasized 60-70% clinician adoption rates in enterprises, per recent X posts from industry observers quoting Kelly.

Navigating a Crowded AI Scribe Arena

Heidi differentiates through clinician-centric design. ‘Most enterprise tools are built to win over CIOs. Heidi is built to win over clinicians,’ Kelly said in a podcast clip shared on X. The platform goes beyond transcription to task automation and evidence-based insights, operating in diverse settings from primary care to specialties.

By late 2025, Heidi powers millions of interactions weekly across regions, with full HIPAA and GDPR compliance. The Australian Financial Review pegged post-Series B valuation at $711 million in AUD terms, though U.S. reports settle on $465 million, reflecting currency and methodology variances.

Valuation Surge and Market Momentum

A December CNBC profile crystallized Heidi’s rise, dubbing Kelly’s venture worth over $460 million. Posts on X amplified this, with users hailing the ex-doctor’s burnout-to-billionaire path. Venture predictions from Business Insider foresee more AI investments in cost-saving tools like Heidi amid 2026 M&A waves.

Clinician adoption metrics stand out: 60-70% uptake in organizations, far above peers, as Kelly detailed in interviews. This drives virality, with tools spreading organically among providers frustrated by electronic health records.

Challenges in Scaling AI for Care

Despite momentum, hurdles loom. Accuracy in diverse accents, medical jargon, and edge cases demands constant model tuning. Regulatory scrutiny intensifies as AI touches patient data. Heidi counters with no-recording policies and clinician-editable outputs, building trust.

Competition heats up. Microsoft’s MAI-DxO and others eye diagnostics, but Heidi focuses on workflow relief. HCI Innovation Group noted the Series B will boost automation for documentation and searches, positioning Heidi for enterprise wins.

Broader Impact on Clinician Wellbeing

Kelly’s motivation remains personal. ‘In a perfect world… I would spend as much time with [patients] as they need,’ he told CNBC. Heidi aims to reclaim that time, combating burnout driving clinician exodus. Early users report halved note-taking time, enabling longer visits.

Global reach expands: U.S., Australia, Europe. Digital Health covered the £48 million equivalent for international growth. X sentiment echoes optimism, with posts praising Heidi’s role in sustainable care delivery.

Vision Beyond the Scribe

Future roadmaps eye diagnostics, task completion, and patient follow-ups. Kelly envisions AI as a ‘care partner’ for every clinician, per the Series B post. With Point72’s backing, Heidi eyes acquisitions and IPO paths, though VCs predict a quiet 2026 for public markets.

At 33, Kelly reflects without regret. ‘If you’re sitting in an aged care home… I definitely would have regretted not having tried,’ he shared. His story underscores AI’s power to reshape medicine from within.