Saile, a New York City startup founded by physicians, has secured $2.2 million in pre-seed funding to streamline side jobs for doctors through an AI-driven credentials platform.
The platform acts as a centralized "credential passport" for physicians, automating storage, tracking, and sharing of documents across job opportunities like locums, telemedicine, and urgent care shifts.
Addressing the Hidden Staffing Crisis in Healthcare
Physician-founder Dr. Marc Ayoub, a neurosurgeon, identified a key bottleneck: fragmented infrastructure that prevents underutilized doctors from efficiently taking on extra work amid ongoing shortages.
Saile's five AI agents handle recruiting, onboarding, credentialing, staffing, and compliance, reportedly cutting onboarding time by about 45 days and administrative burdens by 40% for facilities.
Bootstrapped from ideas in early 2025, the app now boasts nearly 5,000 active physician users nationwide, growing through word-of-mouth in clinician networks.
The funding round was led by Matchstick Ventures with participation from Headwater Ventures, validating Saile's approach as an all-in-one infrastructure layer beneath traditional staffing agencies.
Beyond side gigs, Saile taps into a booming trend of physician side hustles, from AI training to consulting, helping combat burnout by offering flexible income streams outside full-time roles.
In a sector where AI health tech funding surged to $14.9 billion globally in 2025, Saile positions itself uniquely by focusing on credential portability, an underserved pain point costing the industry billions annually.
Facilities benefit from a pre-vetted pool of local physicians via a per-seat SaaS model, potentially easing emergency staffing gaps without multiple vendors.
Looking ahead, Saile plans to expand its AI agents, marketplace features, and system integrations, which could redefine gig work in medicine akin to Uber for high-skill professionals.
For everyday patients, this means faster access to care as more doctors take flexible shifts, while physicians gain financial freedom without endless paperwork—making healthcare workforce more resilient.
One non-obvious angle: By enabling cross-credentialing, Saile could reduce reliance on locum agencies, democratizing high-paying opportunities and fostering direct facility-provider matches.
Alfred Lee
