HCDE Impact: How federal research funding fueled a startup with global reach

Many of the innovations that shape our everyday lives started with research at a university, often supported by federal and philanthropic funding. These investments don’t just lead to new ideas, they can also spark companies that drive economic growth. One example of this path from research to industry is Human Centered Design & Engineering Professor Beth Kolko, whose work in global health and technology design led her to launch Shift Labs, a Seattle-based medical device startup.

From classroom project to global health innovation

Before founding Shift Labs, Kolko spent over a decade researching how technology could support under-resourced communities. Her work focused on global health and the social impact of technology, including projects on smart health tools, mobile platforms for public health programs, and how people adopt and use technology in different cultural contexts. Her research was supported by organizations such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Microsoft, the United Nations Foundation, and the International Development Research Centre.

One day, she got an email from a UW radiology professor, supported with a grant from the GE Foundation, who needed help redesigning ultrasound tools for midwives in Uganda. Kolko turned the challenge into a class project, inviting undergraduate students in her Human-Computer Interaction course to explore new sonogram designs. Their successful course project led to a research collaboration with students and faculty in computer science and global health.

After receiving funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Kolko and her students traveled to Uganda and Kenya, where they worked with local healthcare providers and developed a working prototype. The response was overwhelmingly positive—both patients and midwives liked the improved device, and more women started coming in for prenatal care appointments. The project was even featured in a public exhibit at the Gates Foundation Visitor Center.

From academia to startup

Despite the project's success, Kolko couldn't find a company willing to take the product to market. “One VP told me, ‘We could make a cheaper device, but it wouldn’t support our business model,’” she recalled. "So that was the day when I decided to start a company, because this seemed like a broken model. The world has changed, and we need to do better."

Drawing on her experience and connections in the maker and hacker community, she began exploring what kind of medical tool they could realistically build with off-the-shelf parts and a small budget. After interviewing healthcare workers around the world, her team identified a major need: simple, affordable tools for giving medication through an IV.

Designing for the real world

Shift Labs focused on improving infusion technology, building a device that uses gravity rather than pumps to deliver fluids and medication. This method is common in hospitals around the world, especially in emergency rooms, ambulances, home care, and field settings.

Being in an academic setting, Kolko says, allowed her team to question assumptions about medical devices. “We were able to fundamentally question how the problem is defined and then redefine the problem—which is what allowed us to build a new kind of solution,” she says.

Shift Labs made an infusion monitor that was simple to learn, easy to use, and quick to fix. They chose AA batteries instead of rarer coin cell batteries so the devices would work in more places. They also designed the product so it could be repaired with basic tools like a soldering iron, helpful in clinics without tech support. Kolko's team approached every element of the device to avoid unnecessary complexity so that it can be usable within minutes.

Local jobs, broader reach

As Shift Labs grew, it created jobs in Washington State, employed a team of about a dozen people, and kept its manufacturing local. The company sold its devices to home healthcare providers, outpatient clinics, and even Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, where it was used for animals. During the COVID-19 pandemic, some hospitals also turned to Shift Labs to help meet urgent needs.

What set the company apart was its focus on human-centered design, shaped by years of research and listening to users. Kolko credits her academic research, including federally funded studies on healthcare technology use, with giving her the tools to understand what people needed and how to build something that truly worked for them.

Unlike in industry, where short-term deliverables often drive decisions, the academic environment encouraged wide-ranging inquiry. “Longitudinal investigations are the essential predecessor for discovering new ways of thinking and you can't have that kind of transformative problem-solving  without exploratory, fundamental research.,” Kolko said.

Why research funding matters

Kolko’s experience demonstrates the far-reaching impact of investing in academic research. Grants from agencies like NSF and NIH allowed her to ask big questions, test new ideas, and teach students who helped make the project possible.

“You can’t have innovation without research,” Kolko says. “You need time to ask questions, try new things, and build deep knowledge. That’s what academic research makes possible.”

Today, Kolko brings her journey back into the classroom. In her HCDE course, Designing a Human-Centered Venture, she teaches students not just how to launch startups, but how human-centered design can shape every part of a company, from employee policies and governance to product and customer service. "That's what I enjoy sharing with my students," she said. "It's not just about what you build, but how you build it and who you build it for."