The Unicorn Protocol | Sally Ann Frank

The Unicorn Protocol: Digital Health Unicorns, How They Got There and What You Can Learn From Them

As a follow-up to the author’s first book, The Startup Protocol: A Guide for Digital Health Startups to Bypass Pitfalls and Adopt Strategies That Work , this book is a series of case studies about digital health and life sciences Unicorns. Like Jim Collins’ Good to Great, the case studies document key decisions and strategies that turned an idea into a thriving enterprise. The ultimate goal is to further educate digital health startup founders and their teams about what it takes to be successful and have a lasting, positive effect on our healthcare delivery system. Through a series of interviews with Unicorn founders and leaders, the book will synthesize the information and highlight the elements that led to the growth and success of the companies.

Called a “master class in building successful digital health companies,” by early reviewers, The Unicorn Protocol enables you to hear directly from Unicorn founders. As if you were sitting with them over a cup of coffee, you learn about the elements that led to the growth and success of market-making companies. These origin stories will both inspire and surprise you, as you read about the creativity, ingenuity, and unconventional leadership behind these innovative organizations. Learn from the founders of Aidoc, Amwell, athenahealth, ConcertAI, Dispatch Health, Element Biosciences, Innovaccer, Lunit, Omada Health and Redox. Gain an understanding of how innovative minds think, when developing a solution and building a business. Unvarnished and candid, the founders share their triumphs and tribulations, and successes and slip ups.

While focused on the healthcare industry, there are valuable lessons for leaders in any industry and for companies at any stage of development.

Great business starts with great sequence…for the best experience, read The Startup Protocol first.

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Book Reviews: The Unicorn Protocol

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The Unicorn Protocol offers a welcome departure from the typical startup narrative. Rather than glorifying disruption or relying on post-hoc success stories, it brings forward the operational, emotional, and structural realities of building a company in one of the most unforgiving sectors: healthcare.

This collection of founder stories helps reframe how we evaluate early-stage digital health ventures. It puts founders rather than technologies at the center of the story. In doing so, it surfaces key patterns that matter most, such as how conviction is tested by reimbursement cycles, how clinical validation collides with commercial runway, and how teams evolve under regulatory and cultural pressure.

What makes this book valuable isn’t just the access to high-profile founders or the sector-specific anecdotes. It’s the cumulative picture it paints of what’s required to create momentum in a system that rarely rewards speed or novelty. For the investors, health system partners, and even incumbents in the system, the book offers a more informed lens on what early-stage success actually looks like before scale.

The Unicorn Protocol isn’t a hero’s journey but rather a map of the terrain, drawn by those who’ve crossed it.

Ali Tafreshi, CEO & President, Topcon Health, Inc.

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The Unicorn Protocol is a refreshingly candid and deeply human exploration of what it takes to build a successful digital health startup. Far from a conventional how-to manual, this founder-centric anthology offers an unfiltered look into the personal journeys of entrepreneurs who have dared to challenge the healthcare status quo. Through rich storytelling, detailed company profiles, and insightful interviews, the book reveals the grit, strategy, and soul behind some of the most impactful healthcare innovations of our time. It doesn’t romanticize the startup path―it respects it, honoring the complexity and purpose that drive mission-led founders. For healthcare professionals contemplating entrepreneurship, startup teams navigating early growth, or investors seeking to understand what makes a digital health venture thrive, The Unicorn Protocol serves as a compass, a mirror, and a call to action.

Kathleen McGrow DNP, MS, RN, PMP, FHIMSS, FAANGlobal Chief Nursing Innovation Officer, Microsoft

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After reading The Unicorn Protocol and have to say―I love it. The case study format and founder interviews are just what the 'doctor' ordered. The diversity of experiences and voices brings a richness that makes this a compelling read and a powerful guide for anyone navigating the digital health space.

Many moments stuck with me, and this kind of real-world learning (and listening) sets this book apart. Sally has captured more than the ambition of these founders, but the messy, essential work of earning trust, evolving strategy, and delivering measurable impact. I’ve watched and met many of these leaders, but reading their retrospective insights―how decisions played out over time―was addictive. The Unicorn Protocol has the potential to join the key guides for serial entrepreneurs, first-time founders, and even VCs looking to better understand what makes or breaks a company in the health sector. It should be a required B-school text.

n short, Sally Ann Frank delivers a refreshingly candid guide for digital health founders committed to leading with innovation and heart. Through real-world stories of startup successes and setbacks, she reveals what it truly takes to build scalable, mission-driven companies in a fragmented and high-stakes industry. This isn’t a book about hi-tech hype; it’s a roadmap for meaningful progress, reminding us that fundamental health transformation starts with purpose and must be driven by impact.

Gil Bashe, Managing Partner, Chair Global Health and Purpose, FINN Partners

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The Unicorn Protocol is a compelling roadmap for digital health entrepreneurs, offering firsthand insights from founders who’ve achieved what many only dream of―Unicorn status. Through deeply personal stories, tactical lessons, and candid reflections, Sally Ann Frank captures the grit, missteps, and vision that drive meaningful innovation in healthcare from ten different Unicorn founders. Whether you’re building your first MVP or navigating scale, this book delivers invaluable wisdom straight from those who’ve been there―and made it. I would strongly recommend reading Sally’s first book, The Startup Protocol ahead of embarking on this one for a completely immersive experience in the world of healthcare startups.

Aly H. Abayazeed, MD, MS, CIIP, Neuroradiologist and Founder of QRadAI

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This is a masterful tapestry of founders’ journeys, capturing their raw realities and hard-won breakthroughs. But it’s much more than a collection of unicorn success stories. What sets it apart is the author’s rare ability to distill patterns, lessons, and defining moments in each founder’s path. Her reflections, rooted in deep personal experience with startups, lend a clarity and credibility which complement the book’s inspiration. A must-read for anyone serious about understanding what it really takes to create a successful company.

Ranya Habash, MD, Bascom Palmer/University of Miami & Founder, Sweet Medical

About the Author

Sally Ann Frank leads the worldwide HLS strategy, programs, and portfolio for Microsoft for Startups, an organization dedicated to accelerating the development of innovative companies. Through business strategy planning, go-to-market development, and technical excellence, she enables startups to achieve their revenue and long-term goals… READ MORE