How Personal Crisis Sparked Superpower's Healthcare Revolution

At Superpower, Jacob Peters isn't just building a healthtech startup—he's constructing a movement born from from personal medical challenges and transformative vision. A serial entrepreneur with a track record of success in community-driven ventures like Commsor and Launch House, Peters brings his wealth of experience to democratizing premium healthcare. After battling a life-threatening autoimmune disorder that landed him in the hospital for months, Peters experienced firsthand how the traditional healthcare system prioritizes profits over prevention. His recovery through high-end concierge physicians—typically available only to the tech elite—revealed a profound disparity in healthcare quality that became Superpower's founding mission: making premium healthcare accessible to everyone through technology.

Why Work Here is a series in which Amit Matani, CEO of Wellfound, has honest, behind-the-scenes conversations with founders, executives, and employees about why their companies are worth joining. Watch the full conversation with Jacob Peters on YouTube or listen on Spotify. Subscribe to follow along with future episodes.

The Origin: When Healthcare Fails

Jacob Peters' journey to founding Superpower began with a harrowing personal health crisis. Three and a half years ago, while building his first company (a multi-hundred-million-dollar software business), Peters made a critical mistake: prioritizing success over health.

"I made the mistake that I think all too many entrepreneurial and ambitious people do, which is put the pursuit of success and impact and whatever you're trying to birth into the world ahead of your health foundation," Peters explains.

The consequences were severe. Peters developed an autoimmune disorder—Crohn's disease—that landed him in the hospital for months and required multiple surgeries. During this ordeal, he encountered the limitations of traditional healthcare, which he describes as economically incentivized to "ignore the underlying root cause of disease" in favor of profitable interventions like medications and surgeries.

The Revelation: Two-Tier Healthcare

His recovery came through an unexpected source: connections to high-end concierge physicians who normally serve the tech elite. This experience revealed a profound disparity in healthcare quality:

"If you have money and you're in the know, healthcare is not a problem. It's a solved problem," Peters observes. "The story of technology in the inevitable arc of technological innovation is such that it often democratizes for the many what was once only available for the few."

This insight became Superpower's founding mission: to democratize high-end concierge medicine—making it accessible to everyone through technology. The company creates a software-based experience of premium healthcare at a fraction of the traditional cost.

The Mission Advantage: A Different Fuel Source

Peters' experience has solidified his belief that mission-driven companies have a fundamental advantage in the marketplace:

"Mission-driven companies outperform. It's a different well of energy that you can draw from. It's a much exponentially more powerful fuel source that the team can rally behind on a day-to-day basis that you can use to attract the best people who really want to work for something that has a direct impact in the world."

This mission orientation permeates everything about Superpower's approach. When they launched, they didn't just create a website—they published a manifesto explaining how healthcare was broken and how it needed a new hero. The response was overwhelming, with hundreds sharing their own stories of healthcare system failures.

Building a Mission-Aligned Team: The Talent Magnet

The mission advantage extends powerfully to talent acquisition. Peters emphasizes that Superpower maintains an exceptionally high talent bar, attracting individuals who might otherwise be "unhireable" at conventional compensation levels.

Their head of branded design was Canva's youngest product manager at age 17 and ran a successful solo agency before joining. Their engineering team includes multiple YC technical founders who "turned down million-dollar offers from Netflix" to work at Superpower.

What attracts this caliber of talent? Peters points to authenticity:

"Everything I just said is truly from the heart. And this isn't like, you know, a used car salesman pitch... people really, really pick up on that. I think, you know, if you really are prolific talent, you're smart, and it's not going to be easy to be sold to."

Culture as a Collaborative Creation

Beyond authenticity, Superpower approaches culture with intentional design. Peters notes: "If you're not intentional enough about your culture, the company isn't gonna run as well."

However, this doesn't mean imposing rigid values from the top. At Superpower, "the culture is written in pencil"—meaning the foundational document exists in a Notion file where everyone has edit access.

"I think people really appreciate the fact that they can, you know, be both the player and the coach or help kind of write the ideologies and the guardrails in addition to following them," Peters explains.

This approach creates buy-in and ensures the culture evolves collaboratively as the company grows.

Cultural Cornerstones: What Drives Superpower

Three core values form Superpower's cultural foundation:

1. Mission Obsession: Peters explains that mission obsession is "the number one filter criteria" for joining Superpower. He wants candidates to ask themselves," Are you mission-obsessed? Like, do you just really care about this? Do you wake up every day and want to build something that's going to help people?"
2. Superpowering Your Health: The team practices what they preach, prioritizing personal health as "a strategic business decision" and "a tool for human performance and quantifiable productivity."
3. Focus on A+ Tasks: "We're obsessed, literally obsessed with working on the highest leverage opportunities, the most needle-moving projects and tasks." This creates a culture where team members regularly challenge each other—including the CEO—to ensure they're focusing on truly impactful work.

The "Full Stack Human" Advantage

Superpower specifically recruits versatile individuals Peters calls "full stack humans"—people capable of working across multiple domains from high-level strategy to detailed implementation.

"Anytime you have people who are able to work across everything from the highest level bird's eye view all the way down to the minuscule implementation detail, you're going to get a better output and a result because it has to pass through less brains in order to be brought to life," Peters explains.

This approach dramatically increases shipping velocity and product quality while reducing communication overhead.

Documentation as Decision Accelerator

Another key to Superpower's execution is their documentation-first approach. Following Amazon's model, they ensure every meeting begins with everyone reading a memo that outlines the discussion topic.

"It makes for much better decisions because writing is a forcing function for clarity of thought," Peters explains. This disciplined approach keeps meetings focused and decisions high-quality.

Key Takeaways for Founders

From Superpower's example, several powerful lessons emerge for founders building mission-driven companies:

Personal Connection Creates Powerful Missions:

The most compelling company missions often emerge from founders' personal experiences with broken systems. Don't shy away from sharing your story.

Mission Attracts Exceptional Talent:

A genuine mission creates a gravitational pull for talent that might otherwise be unattainable. Peters notes he's "never seen such fervent investor, customer, partner, consumer or teammate interest" compared to his previous ventures.

Make Culture Collaborative:

Give team members ownership over not just their work but the company culture itself. This creates deeper engagement and better adaptation over time.

Prioritize Ruthlessly:

Foster a culture where everyone feels empowered to question whether tasks are truly high-leverage. As Peters notes, "It's super easy to work 12, 13, 14 hour days and feel like you're doing a lot" without making real progress.

Documentation Drives Better Decisions:

Writing forces clarity and creates asynchronous decision-making opportunities that improve quality while reducing meeting time.

Seek "Full Stack Humans":

People who can work across traditional role boundaries reduce handoffs and accelerate execution.

What Candidates Should Look For

For job seekers evaluating potential employers, Peters' insights suggest asking:

1. Is the mission authentic? Does the company genuinely connect to its stated purpose, or is it merely performative?
2. Will your health be respected? Look for organizations that recognize personal wellbeing as foundational to sustainable performance.
3. Are you encouraged to challenge priorities? The best environments welcome questions about whether work is truly impactful.
4. Can you shape the culture? Seek companies where culture is a collaborative creation rather than a top-down imposition.
5. Are your full capabilities welcome? The most fulfilling roles often transcend traditional job descriptions to leverage your complete skillset.

The Future of Mission-Driven Companies

Peters' parting thought offers perspective on why mission-driven companies matter more than ever:

"I think the big takeaway is that mission-driven companies are special. And when you find one, find a way to become a part of it, support it. And, you know, it's what the world needs. [Not] just, you know, unhinged capitalism. We need companies that care about shareholders and stakeholders."

In an era when many question technology's real-world impact, Superpower demonstrates how combining authentic purpose with disciplined execution can create a powerful alignment between business success and human well-being. It offers a compelling model worth emulating for founders seeking to build meaningful companies and candidates looking for fulfilling work.