Embodied Labs is a technology company.
Embodied Labs has raised $3.0M across 1 funding round.
Embodied Labs has raised $3.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Embodied Labs has raised $3.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Embodied Labs's investors include The Venture Reality Fund.
Embodied Labs is an educational technology company that develops immersive VR and web-based training platforms to foster empathy and understanding among healthcare providers, educators, and caregivers by letting users experience patient perspectives firsthand.[1][3][4] It builds immersive experiences simulating conditions like Alzheimer's, dementia, vision/hearing impairments, social isolation, and end-of-life scenarios, serving medical schools, nursing programs, senior living communities, government agencies (e.g., VA, Area Agencies on Aging), and public health organizations.[2][3][5] The platform solves the empathy gap in traditional training—where textbooks and case studies fall short—by enabling users to "embody" patients, improving communication, reducing errors, preventing caregiver burnout, and enhancing care quality through actionable insights.[1][3][7] Growth includes expansions like the 2021 launch of Embodied Labs Online for browser-based access without headsets, partnerships across states (e.g., California, Colorado, Arkansas), and international use in Australia, London, and the Netherlands.[1][5][7]
Embodied Labs was founded by Carrie Shaw, MS, the current CEO, inspired by her mother's early-onset Alzheimer's diagnosis.[1][4] Shaw struggled to convey her mother's visual impairments to caregivers, so she modified glasses to simulate them, sparking the realization that VR could bridge experiential gaps in caregiving.[1][4] This personal challenge led her to create VR storytelling tools that cultivate empathy for those with age-related conditions, redefining healthcare training.[1][4] The company emerged as an immersive platform, starting with sales to medical schools and nursing programs, then expanding to senior living providers and government entities like in-home support services.[5] Early pilots, such as a 2016 study with 200 medical students at the University of Illinois-Chicago testing "The Alfred Lab" (a 7-minute VR experience embodying an Alzheimer's patient), validated its impact on empathy and skills, setting the stage for broader adoption.[7]
Embodied Labs rides the VR/AR and immersive learning wave in healthcare education, capitalizing on edtech's shift toward experiential training amid aging populations and caregiver shortages.[1][3][6] Timing aligns with post-pandemic remote learning demands and VR accessibility (e.g., browser-based tools launched 2021), making empathy-building scalable without hardware barriers.[1][2] Market forces like rising dementia cases, emphasis on patient-centered care, and government training mandates (e.g., VA studies, state agencies) favor it, as traditional methods fail to convey lived experiences.[5][7] It influences the ecosystem by pioneering "embodied" frameworks, co-publishing research, and partnering with innovators, pushing healthcare toward tech-driven empathy that improves outcomes and reduces costs.[3][7]
Embodied Labs is poised to expand its platform with more co-created labs on emerging conditions, deeper government/health system integrations, and AI-enhanced personalization for global scaling.[5][7] Trends like metaverse edtech, mandatory empathy training, and aging demographics will accelerate adoption, potentially evolving it into a standard for care certification. As VR matures and web-immersion proliferates, its influence could reshape caregiver cultures worldwide, turning personal insight into systemic care transformation—echoing Shaw's original spark from modified glasses to empathetic revolutions.[1][4]
Embodied Labs has raised $3.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $3.0M Seed in January 2020.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2020 | $3.0M Seed | The Venture Reality Fund |