Aug 12, 2026 · 35 min
Clasp turns loan repayment into healthcare talent strategy
1539: The Billion-Dollar Problem Nobody Was Solving… Until Now w/ Tess Michaels
Healthcare employers face persistent talent shortages while students carry costly training debt, creating an opening for benefits that serve recruitment and retention at once.
- 1Clasp links employer-funded student loan repayment to multi-year healthcare work commitments.
- 2Sector expertise and distribution matter as much as product design when building a workforce business.
- 3Disciplined focus helps founders convert market disruption into durable growth rather than chase every opportunity.
Don't miss
Tess Michaels explains how Clasp has supported more than 10,000 students and secured over $130 million in employer loan-repayment commitments.
The brief
Tess Michaels traces her path from launching a venture at 19 to building Clasp, a healthcare workforce company designed around a specific talent shortage.
Clasp operates like an “ROTC for healthcare”: employers help repay students’ loans in exchange for future work commitments, aligning education costs with staffing needs.
The model’s value is measured in recruiting and retention, not just benefits spending; Clasp frames repurposed hiring dollars as a strategic return on investment.
With more than 10,000 students supported and over $130 million in employer repayment commitments, Clasp shows how a focused sector strategy can scale.
Michaels closes on the less glamorous discipline behind growth: pattern recognition, founder community, opportunity-cost thinking, and saying no to distractions.
Featuring
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