Matthew Douglass

INSTINCTIVE INNOVATION. Matthew Douglass’s journey as an entrepreneur is a testament to following your instincts and embracing the unconventional. Raised in the small, conservative town of Amarillo, Texas, Matthew’s life took a pivotal turn when his father put a computer in front of him at the age of seven. “I wrote my first line of code in Basic in 1987, and it felt like a superpower—creating something from nothing,” he recalls. This early fascination with technology led Matthew to co-found Practice Fusion, one of the most influential web-based electronic health record (EHR) platforms in the United States.

Growing up in the sheltered environment of Amarillo, Matthew often felt out of place, both because of his emerging identity as a gay man and his burgeoning interest in technology. The internet became his gateway to a broader world, showing him that there were different ways to live and think. “I discovered that I wasn’t like most of the people around me, and the internet helped me realize that there could be another way,” he says.

Determined to chart his own course, Matthew pursued a degree in computer science at the Colorado School of Mines, where he balanced his love for technology with his passion for nature. “I knew from the age of 13 that I wanted to be a computer scientist,” Matthew explains. His time in Colorado allowed him to gain the technical skills he needed while also offering him the chance to explore the great outdoors.

After college, Matthew moved to Houston, where he began his career working for energy and investment companies. However, this path wasn’t fulfilling. “I was making millionaires into billionaires, and it just didn’t resonate with me,” Matthew reflects. After many sleepless nights, Matthew decided to take a leap of faith. In 2006, he moved to San Francisco, the epicenter of tech innovation, in search of something more meaningful.

In San Francisco, Matthew found his community and, eventually, his purpose. After meeting several potential co-founders, he was introduced to someone with an idea that would change the course of his life—an idea that became Practice Fusion. “The idea was to make any patient’s healthcare information available to their providers securely, privately, and instantaneously, wherever that provider or patient was in the world,” Matthew explains. This vision resonated deeply with him, especially after witnessing the failures of the healthcare system during his mother’s health struggles. He quit his job the next day and joined the venture full-time.

The early days of Practice Fusion were challenging, but Matthew’s commitment to creating a product that would truly make a difference kept him going. He built the initial version of the platform himself and then began assembling a team of engineers. Practice Fusion’s success was rooted in its commitment to user experience, particularly in an industry where most doctors found electronic health records to be cumbersome and frustrating. “We really focused on user experience, and after 18 months of concerted effort, we turned our Net Promoter Score around from -25 to +72,” Matthew says proudly.

USER-CENTRIC VISION. Matthew’s journey as a queer entrepreneur played a significant role in shaping the inclusive and diverse culture at Practice Fusion. “Growing up feeling different helped me recognize early on that multiple perspectives are crucial for building great products,” he notes. This belief in the value of diverse viewpoints informed the way he built and led his teams, constantly working to ensure that everyone’s voice was heard.

After a decade-long journey with Practice Fusion, Matthew is looking to the future. He believes that queer founders have a unique opportunity to create products that reflect and serve people from all walks of life. Rather than conforming to mainstream expectations, Matthew encourages founders to trust their instincts and embrace their authentic selves. “Don’t shy away from your life experiences as an LGBTQ person,” he advises. “Lean into what makes you unique.”