Topography Team Q & A: Matt Anderson
Matt Anderson is Topography’s Director of Engineering. Before he joined our team, his career spanned industries including fintech, entertainment, and renewable energy. After the successful acquisition of a previous startup, Matt joined as one of Topography’s first engineering hires. His role is a player-coach and involves building out foundational tech, growing the team, and leading the engineering department.
Matt shared a little bit about his background, how the Topography engineering team stays close to healthcare problems, and the additional layer of meaning that working in clinical research offers engineers.
I understand this was your first role in healthtech. How has your prior engineering background influenced your approach to building in this space?
Yes, Topography is my first foray into healthcare, and it’s been a unique challenge. Coming in without preconceptions allowed me to think independently and apply modern software practices to an industry that’s traditionally been slow to innovate. We’re working within a regulated industry but also exploring cutting-edge technologies like AI and large language models to make a real impact. One of the most rewarding aspects is knowing that the work we do, like enrolling patients in life-changing clinical trials, has a direct and meaningful benefit to people.
Can you share an example of how your team has used technology to tackle a specific challenge in clinical trials?
A great example involves a trial for erosive esophagitis, a throat condition that requires very specific diagnostic criteria. Hariesh, one of our data scientists, collaborated with James, a clinical research coordinator, to learn how doctors were documenting this condition in their notes. By combining clinical expertise with AI-powered unstructured data analysis, we identified eligible patients efficiently. This allowed us to rapidly recruit participants and led to our site being one of the top-enrollers in the U.S. The success highlighted the power of blending technical and clinical knowledge. There aren’t many environments where, as an engineer, you can have such close proximity to the problems you’re trying to solve—we’re all about that at Topography.
How does your team approach building software for an industry still transitioning from paper to digital processes?
It’s been an interesting journey. Many clinical research processes are still done on paper, and even digitizing them is a massive step forward. At the same time, we’re striving to go beyond that by using modern tools to create dashboards and CRMs that are simple, intuitive, and impactful. For instance, sponsors have told us that some of our dashboards provide metrics they’ve never had access to before. Our nimble, modern tech stack allows our practices to move quickly and deliver real value to patients.
Your team operates without dedicated product managers (PMs). How does that impact your workflow?
Yes, it’s been an intentional choice we have made so far in the hiring strategy of our team. To be clear, I’ve loved working with fantastic PMs in the past, but as product-focused engineers we emphasize getting our team as close to the problems as possible. This encourages creative problem-solving and a deeper connection to the impact of their work. That said, as we grow, there’s definitely a place for PMs to enhance our team areas like user experience, customer interviews, product analytics, and product design. For now, our lean team has been able to move quickly and build a lot.
What’s unique about the culture of your engineering team?
We’re a remote team, but we prioritize quarterly meetups to maintain human connection. These gatherings help remind us of our shared mission and give us time to collaborate face-to-face. Creating the space for productivity is also a big focus—we work to reduce unnecessary meetings and create flow time for deep work. We’re a startup, so everyone wears multiple hats and contributes in impactful ways. It’s exciting, challenging, and rewarding.
Can you share a story about the impact of your work?
One full-circle moment was when we ran a Lyme disease vaccine trial last year. My mom participated in the original Lyme vaccine trial in the '90s, and now we’re advancing that important research. It’s humbling to see how our work directly furthers medicine and helps patients. Another example is when a friend was diagnosed with erosive esophagitis, and I could speak with them about the clinical trial we were running. It’s moments like these that remind you how meaningful the work is.
What motivates you as a leader in this space?
I’ve always wanted to build tools that people actually use—solutions that solve real problems. In healthcare, the stakes are high, and the impact is tangible. We’re not just building technology for technology’s sake; we’re creating things that improve lives. That’s what keeps me and the team energized and focused.
