Welcome to our Ecosystem Highlight series, where you’ll meet the innovators in our vast ecosystem of startup builders from Tampa-St. Petersburg, who are actively solving some of the world’s greatest challenges. We interviewed Laura Garrison, Founder & CEO of Hello World Solutions, which offers PorchLink, PorchLink is a digital phenotyping platform that uses passive signals from everyday devices in the home to surface early behavioral changes associated with cognitive & functional health.

What were you doing previously, and what inspired you to join, launch, or help grow your company?

Before launching Hello World Solutions, I spent much of my career leading technology and product initiatives, including consulting with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Information and Technology. Throughout that work, I saw firsthand how technology can solve meaningful problems when it is built around people, not systems.

I founded Hello World Solutions with a simple belief: technology should feel human again. The name is inspired by the first program many developers write, “Hello World”, a reminder that every innovation starts with curiosity, optimism, and a desire to create something useful.

That philosophy ultimately led to PorchLink. Inspired by my family’s experience with dementia and caregiving, we are building technology that helps older adults maintain independence while giving caregivers greater peace of mind. Today, Hello World Solutions combines deep technical expertise with a mission to create practical, human-centered solutions that improve people’s lives.

What pain point is your company solving? What gets you excited to go to work every day?

Millions of families are supporting aging loved ones from a distance, yet most have no practical way to know when something may be changing until a crisis occurs. Today’s options often require cameras, wearables, or dedicated hardware that many older adults find intrusive, expensive, or difficult to adopt.

PorchLink is addressing this gap by helping caregivers stay aware of meaningful changes in daily routines using passive signals from devices already present in the home. Our goal is to provide earlier awareness while preserving privacy, dignity, and independence.

What excites me every day is the opportunity to build technology that serves a deeply human need. Inspired by my Abuela Carmen’s journey with dementia, I’m driven by the belief that every family deserves better tools to support the people they love.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in helping build or scale the company? How did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge was validation. As a founder, it’s easy to become convinced that a problem exists because you’ve experienced it personally. The harder part is proving that the problem is significant enough that others will adopt a solution and that the solution addresses a real need.

To overcome this, I focused on customer discovery and listening. Through dozens of conversations with caregivers, older adults, researchers, clinicians, and aging services organizations, I continually refined both the problem and our approach. A pivotal moment came when I connected with a practicing neurologist who works with patients and families every day. Hearing firsthand how difficult it is to identify meaningful changes between office visits reinforced that we were addressing a real gap in care.

That experience taught me that validation doesn’t come from building more technology. It comes from deeply understanding the people you serve and being willing to adapt based on what you learn.

Where do you see your company headed next?

Our next step is expanding PorchLink into larger real-world implementations with healthcare, aging, and veteran-serving organizations. We are particularly excited about opportunities within the Department of Veterans Affairs, where we see potential to support clinicians and care teams with earlier awareness of routine changes that may indicate a veteran needs additional outreach or support.

Longer term, we envision PorchLink becoming a trusted platform for aging in place, helping families, healthcare providers, community organizations, and employers better support older adults while preserving privacy and independence. Our goal is to shift from reacting to crises to identifying meaningful changes earlier, enabling more proactive and personalized care.

Give us a tactical piece of advice that you’d share with someone building or growing a company.

My swim coach used to say, “Your pace, or mine?”

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as a founder is that there is no universal timeline for success. Some companies seem to grow overnight, while others require years of conversations, learning, and iteration before momentum appears.

When progress feels slow, I think back to that phrase. The important thing isn’t how your pace compares to someone else’s. It’s that you keep moving forward.

Why Florida?

Because this is home and where people come to independently age with dignity.

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