# Nelson Mitchell > Product Leader | Digital Health Innovator | Startup Founder | ex Techstars Location: San Francisco, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/nelsonmitchell Serial healthcare entrepreneur and product leader. Co-founded Swing Therapeutics (first FDA-approved digital therapy for fibromyalgia) and Afford Health (AI-enabled medical billing). Seeking VP/Head of Product roles where I can leverage my unique blend of regulatory expertise, design thinking, and startup execution. I build products at the intersection of healthcare complexity and human need. Whether navigating FDA approval processes, designing AI-powered solutions, or leading cross-functional teams through uncertainty, I'm driven by a conviction that thoughtful technology can make healthcare more accessible and humane. As co-founder and Head of Product at Swing Therapeutics, I shepherded the first FDA-approved digital therapy for fibromyalgia from concept through clinical validation—overseeing product, design, and research teams while raising over $20M. I then founded Afford Health to tackle another pain point: the administrative nightmare of medical billing, building an AI platform that served as an employee benefit. Before my founder journey, I spent a decade at Slalom Consulting, where I built and led their San Francisco Experience Design practice, managing $14M in revenue and mentoring 20+ designers while working with clients from early-stage biotechs to global financial institutions. I bring the strategic thinking of a consultant, the execution discipline of a founder, and the empathy of a designer to every challenge. I'm now seeking product leadership roles where mission, complexity, and impact converge. What I'm looking for: VP, Head of Product, or Director-level roles at mission-driven companies tackling meaningful problems in digital health, healthcare technology, or adjacent industries where design thinking and regulatory expertise create competitive advantage. Let's connect if: - You're building products that improve how people access or experience healthcare - You value leaders who can navigate both 0-to-1 innovation and regulatory complexity - Your company's mission resonates more than its valuation ## Work Experience ### Product Leader | Digital Health Innovation @ Independent Jan 2025 – Present | San Francisco, California, United States Exploring product leadership opportunities in mission-driven healthcare companies. Recent work includes founding Afford Health, an AI-enabled medical billing platform... ### Founder @ Afford Health Jan 2023 – Jan 2025 | San Francisco, California, United States Founded an AI-enabled medical billing platform designed to reduce healthcare costs for employees struggling with medical debt—addressing a $200B+ annual problem in the U.S. healthcare system. Built the company from concept to market, leading all aspects of product strategy, go-to-market, and fundraising. Key Achievements: - Raised $170K in pre-seed funding and accepted into Techstars JP Morgan accelerator (<3% acceptance rate) - Led end-to-end product development: market research, concept validation, MVP build, and customer acquisition - Built and managed cross-functional team including engineering, medical billing analysis, and marketing - Developed B2B2C go-to-market strategy positioning the platform as an employee benefit - Created AI-powered tools to automate medical bill negotiation and reduce patient out-of-pocket costs ### Head of Product | Co-Founder @ Swing Therapeutics, Inc. Jan 2019 – Jan 2023 | San Francisco Bay Area Co-founded and led product strategy for a digital therapeutics company developing prescription treatments for chronic conditions. As Head of Product, shepherded Stanza—the first FDA-cleared digital behavioral therapy for fibromyalgia—from concept through clinical validation to market launch. Key Achievements: - FDA De Novo Clearance: Led product through seven clinical trials (including two RCTs) and secured FDA De Novo clearance (May 2023)—the sixth digital therapeutic in the U.S. to achieve FDA clearance and the first for fibromyalgia. Established new device classification via the most rigorous regulatory pathway - Fundraising: Raised $20M+ across Seed and Series A rounds from leading digital health investors - Product Leadership: Directed Product Management, UX/UI Design, User Research, and B2C Marketing teams through complete product lifecycle - Go-to-Market Expansion: Launched Swing Care (Oct 2022), an integrated telemedicine platform providing holistic fibromyalgia management to complement the digital therapeutic - Regulatory Innovation: Navigated complex FDA De Novo pathway with no existing predicate device—requiring novel clinical evidence standards and establishing regulatory precedent for future digital therapeutics - Impact: Delivered evidence-based prescription treatment to thousands of fibromyalgia patients with severely limited therapeutic options ### Practice Lead - Experience Design @ Slalom Consulting Jan 2018 – Jan 2019 | San Francisco, CA Led Slalom San Francisco's team of world-class user experience designers and researchers. Focused on bringing human-centered products and services to life and unlocking success for my clients' employees, customers, and partners. Championed useful tools that respect the needs and contexts of end-users. ### Manager - Experience Design @ Slalom Consulting Jan 2014 – Jan 2018 | San Francisco, CA Managed consultant growth and development for the Experience Design team. Led dozens of design sprints across a variety of projects, delivering design results that drove user adoption and business value for my clients. Facilitated the consultant staffing process, and led coaching, mentoring and career development for my direct reports. ### Consultant - Experience Design @ Slalom Consulting Jan 2010 – Jan 2014 | San Francisco, CA Defined and established the design discipline within a high-growth management consulting team. Designed wireframes and clickable mock-ups for several enterprise, native mobile, and web applications. Conducted qualitative user research, developed information architecture frameworks, and provided visual design services. Selected projects include: - Coordinating with federal regulators and technology partners to launch a first-of-its-kind, real-time energy data service. Established my client as the first energy utility in the world to deliver a fully functional, standards-based API for electric meter data (aka Green Button Connect). - Planning, coordinating, and helping to launch a first-to-market, real-time, meter-based wireless data product (aka Home Area Networking). ### Independent Designer, Consultant, and Graduate Student @ Self-employed Jan 2008 – Jan 2010 | San Francisco Bay Area Independently provided graphic and interactive design services on a part-time basis, while attending graduate school. Clients included: San Francisco State University, Agilewaves, Chemical Strategies Partnership, and California Environmental Associates. ### Marketing, Sales and Operations @ Gizmo Art Production, Inc. Jan 2007 – Jan 2008 | San Francisco Bay Area Managed marketing and assisted in sales, operations, and organizational strategy at this San Francisco-based exhibit design-build firm. Clients included the Exploratorium, the de Young Museum, the City of San Francisco, the City of Palo Alto, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, IDEO, Gap, and R.Torre & Company. ### Explorer @ Sabbatical through Central and South America Jan 2006 – Jan 2007 Explored fourteen Central and South American countries over nine months, traveling by planes, trains, bus, and foot - from Eastern Mexico to Ushuaia, Argentina. A life-changing experience on many levels. ### Senior Consultant @ Trianz Jan 2004 – Jan 2006 Worked in Trianz's high-growth professional services arm, executing projects in business and data analysis, marketing and sales analytics, and contract management for clients including Cisco Systems and Extreme Networks. ### Analyst @ Accenture Jan 2000 – Jan 2003 | San Francisco Bay Area Delivered over a dozen major business analysis and software development projects within Accenture's ‘Electronics and High Tech’ market area for clients including: eBay, HP, AT&T Wireless, Cisco Systems, Kana, McKesson, and Siebel. ## Education ### M.A. in Industrial Arts in Product Design San Francisco State University ### B.A. (x2) in Finance, Economics Michigan State University ### n/a in Economics University of Oxford ### N/A in Product Management General Assembly ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nelson-mitchell --- Source: https://flows.cv/nelsonmitchell JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/nelsonmitchell/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13