Why I Shut Down My Bootstrapped Health AI Startup After 7 Years
Feb 27, 2026
5min read
Today, I officially turned off the servers for VitalSign AI. It is a strange feeling. I started this company in my apartment back in 2019 with nothing but a laptop and a simple goal: to help people understand their own health data. For seven years, we stayed independent. We never took a dime of venture capital. We grew from a basic app into a system that worked with smart glasses and skin patches. But today, the journey ends.
Why shut down now? It was not because we ran out of money. In fact, we were still making a profit. The truth is, the tech world of 2026 is completely different from where we started. Back in 2019, having an AI that could predict a cold before you felt it seemed like magic. Now, that kind of tech is a basic feature built into every smartwatch and pair of glasses sold by the big tech giants. They own the hardware, the sensors, and the data. As a small, bootstrapped team, we could no longer compete with their reach.
Over the last two years, I found myself spending more time on legal paperwork and data privacy rules than on actual coding. In 2026, the regulations for health AI are incredibly strict. To keep up, I would have needed a legal team twice the size of my engineering team. It stopped being about helping people stay healthy and started being about managing risks and jumping through hoops. I realized I was no longer doing what I loved.
Another big factor was the shift in how people use AI. Today, users expect their health data to talk to their smart kitchens, their cars, and their gym equipment instantly. Building those connections requires massive partnerships and billions of dollars. A small team of five people just cannot build that entire ecosystem alone. We reached the ceiling of what a bootstrapped company could do in this space.
I am not sad about the decision. These seven years taught me more than any job ever could. We helped thousands of people catch health issues early, and that is something I will always be proud of. But I have learned that knowing when to walk away is just as important as knowing when to begin. I am taking some time off to see what the next era of tech holds, far away from health sensors and data logs.
Why shut down now? It was not because we ran out of money. In fact, we were still making a profit. The truth is, the tech world of 2026 is completely different from where we started. Back in 2019, having an AI that could predict a cold before you felt it seemed like magic. Now, that kind of tech is a basic feature built into every smartwatch and pair of glasses sold by the big tech giants. They own the hardware, the sensors, and the data. As a small, bootstrapped team, we could no longer compete with their reach.
Over the last two years, I found myself spending more time on legal paperwork and data privacy rules than on actual coding. In 2026, the regulations for health AI are incredibly strict. To keep up, I would have needed a legal team twice the size of my engineering team. It stopped being about helping people stay healthy and started being about managing risks and jumping through hoops. I realized I was no longer doing what I loved.
Another big factor was the shift in how people use AI. Today, users expect their health data to talk to their smart kitchens, their cars, and their gym equipment instantly. Building those connections requires massive partnerships and billions of dollars. A small team of five people just cannot build that entire ecosystem alone. We reached the ceiling of what a bootstrapped company could do in this space.
I am not sad about the decision. These seven years taught me more than any job ever could. We helped thousands of people catch health issues early, and that is something I will always be proud of. But I have learned that knowing when to walk away is just as important as knowing when to begin. I am taking some time off to see what the next era of tech holds, far away from health sensors and data logs.
