Through research and interviews, I have identified 4 key areas where barriers are likely to occur in healthcare startups. These include:

1. Cultural Barriers
2. Political & Legal Barriers
3. Economic Barriers
4. Community Barriers

All of these are barriers you will face as an entrepreneur in a new or existing market. As you work through this toolkit, keep in mind that some of the barriers I have identified are specifically for healthcare technology startups and social enterprises.

If you believe that you will not face some of these barriers, feel free to skip one or more of the questions proposed in the following toolkit. However, you must take a very critical, some may even say overly critical, viewpoint on your project in order to identify these barriers. If possible, I encourage you to bring in another party that is somewhat familiar with your project but has not played a key part in the development and design process. Often, it is easy to become jaded when identifying barriers and simply assume that your startup will be welcomed into any market and succeed instantly. At these times, it is important to think back to this toolkit and know that planning to combat issues before they occur is the key to success.