James Wall
| James Wall | |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, surgeon, academic |
|---|---|
| Title | CEO, Phases |
| Known for | Co-founder and CEO of Phases |
| Education | Tulane University (biomedical and medical engineering); University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (MD) |
James Wall is an American surgeon, academic, and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and CEO of Phases, a company that uses artificial intelligence agents to automate and accelerate clinical trials.[1] Phases was part of the Y Combinator Summer 2025 (S25) batch.
Early life and education
Wall studied biomedical and medical engineering as an undergraduate at Tulane University. He subsequently attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where he earned his MD. During his medical residency, he took two years to participate in the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Fellowship program, which combined his surgical interests with his engineering background.[2]
Career
Medicine and academia
Wall pursued a surgical career specializing in pediatric surgery, focusing on minimally invasive approaches. He was appointed co-director of Stanford Biodesign's Innovation Fellowship and served as an assistant professor of surgery at Stanford University. Throughout his academic career, he developed multiple medical devices and served as a board member or adviser to several medical technology startups, while continuing to practice surgery.[3]
In July 2025, Wall appeared on the Medtech Talk Podcast in an episode titled "Innovating for Niche Populations," alongside Eric Chehab, discussing medical technology development.
Phases
Wall co-founded Phases alongside Anton Zaliznyi, who serves as Chief AI Officer, and Jonathan van Wersch, who serves as Chief Technology Officer. The company, operating at phases.ai, develops AI agents designed to automate aspects of the clinical trial process. Phases participated in Y Combinator's Summer 2025 batch.[4]
In January 2026, Wall was a guest on *The Founder Initiative* podcast (Episode 203), where the episode discussed Phases's path to product-market fit.[5]
References
- ↑ "Phases". 'Phases}'. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ↑ "Spotlight: James Wall, MD". 'Fogarty Institute for Innovation}'. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ↑ "Spotlight: James Wall, MD". 'Fogarty Institute for Innovation}'. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ↑ "Phases". 'Phases}'. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ↑ "(YC S25) Phases's Founder, James Wall: IRL, Donuts & A Rental Car To Hit PMF?". 'Apple Podcasts}'. Retrieved 2026-03-19.