If your primary need is to reduce deployment and maintenance pain, Microsoft 365 (previously called Office 365) with Excel online should work well.
I was drawn to your post since I hate how much Excel is abused. People use a spread sheet where a simple table in a word processor or note taking app more than suffices. Unfortunately I see no way out of it. The replacements to Excel - i.e. other spreadsheet products have the same issue. Excel actually is probably the most mature of the lot with plenty of information to troubleshoot issues.
If you have a good dev team, with good UI design and dev skills, as suggested by @m348e912 you could create a quick app to serve specific purposes. You could also look into other low-code app platforms. These solutions may take a bit to do, but the end users will love it if done right.
Is the TC at these small companies (particularly taking into account the risk of any stock options) comparable to the TC at Big Tech (notwithstanding the recent sell-off on Wall Street)?
Or do you give up some TC for the other benefits of working at these small startups?
The "shortage" of medical professionals - esp. doctors - I believe is a manufactured one. The medical associations and societies that control approvals operate in a manner similar to OPEC. They keep supply down to keep prices high. This is almost a scam, given the lengthy wait times for doc appointments in many urban areas.
I was drawn to your post since I hate how much Excel is abused. People use a spread sheet where a simple table in a word processor or note taking app more than suffices. Unfortunately I see no way out of it. The replacements to Excel - i.e. other spreadsheet products have the same issue. Excel actually is probably the most mature of the lot with plenty of information to troubleshoot issues.
If you have a good dev team, with good UI design and dev skills, as suggested by @m348e912 you could create a quick app to serve specific purposes. You could also look into other low-code app platforms. These solutions may take a bit to do, but the end users will love it if done right.