Q&A with Shan Sinha, CEO and Founder of Canopy

RamaOnHealthcare October 1, 2024

Improving the well-being of healthcare professionals with wearable safety technology

Today, RamaOnHealthcare talks with Shan Sinha, CEO and Founder of Canopy

Shan Sinha, CEO and Founder of Canopy

RamaOnHealthcare (ROH): Tell us about your journey leading up to the founding of Canopy?

Shan Sinha (SS): My career has always been centered around building products and companies that solve big, sticky problems. At Google, I worked on creating a simpler, faster, and more efficient way for people to save and access information. That product ended up becoming a core element of Google Drive. Later, I built a company called Highfive that focused on delivering an Apple-like user experience for video conferencing, prioritizing ease of use and seamless design. But the turning point came when I learned about the scale of workplace violence in healthcare. It was shocking to have my eyes opened to the fact that nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals experience violent or aggressive behavior on a daily basis. An average of 57 nurses is assaulted each day in the U.S. It’s a level of mistreatment that’s hard to fathom, especially considering the commitment these professionals have made to helping others.

ROH: Given your background in technology, what challenges or gaps in healthcare helped inspire you to start Canopy? How did your background and experience lead you to found Canopy?

SS: American hospitals and health systems are often sprawling – almost literal – mazes. They evolved to meet the needs of their communities, expanding upward and outward; taller towers, expanded wings, wider parking complexes. Within these walls are hundreds or even thousands of employees who can feel isolated and disconnected in this environment as they provide critical services to their community. As campuses grow, administrators have limited awareness of what’s happening across bustling corridors and interconnected buildings. It’s increasingly difficult to sense an emerging crisis or deliver the kind of real time support that builds confidence among frontline workers that help will be there when they need it. With Canopy, I saw an opportunity to apply my UX background to a critical, urgent issue – improving the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of healthcare professionals. Our solution is a cloud-based safety wearable that acts as a discreet duress button for healthcare workers throughout the hospital, including parking lots and garages – and, more recently, even in the homes of patients. Today, Canopy is used in over 800 facilities across more than 40 health systems nationwide. We’re committed to continuing our mission to protect healthcare workers on the frontlines.

ROH: What is the workplace safety issue Canopy is addressing? What specific challenges do healthcare workers face?

SS: Canopy is addressing the critical issue of workplace violence in healthcare, where workers are far more likely to experience violence than employees in other industries. In fact, workplace violence is four times more likely to occur in hospitals. A study published last year found that nearly 20 percent of healthcare professionals have experienced physical abuse. The fact that healthcare workers, who have dedicated their lives to caring for others, routinely face this kind of aggression and violence is unacceptable. These daily experiences not only impact their safety but also contribute to broader industry challenges such as labor shortages, low retention, unprecedented burnout rates, and increased public concern over workplace aggression in hospitals. It’s my opinion that, while healthcare innovation has surged over the past decade with new technology and care models aimed at improving care delivery, the rise in violence against healthcare workers is undermining all of the progress this industry has made. Canopy is working to address this by providing a tangible solution to improve safety and protect those on the front lines of care.

ROH: How does Canopy use technology to mitigate workplace violence?

SS: Canopy offers a simple, yet highly effective, technology solution to protect healthcare workers. Each clinician is equipped with a wearable safety device that attaches to their hospital ID badge, so it’s always – and easily – accessible. The device features a discrete button that staff can double-press whenever they feel their safety is threatened. This can be something as simple as a patient or family member raising their voice or getting too close for comfort. The idea is to be preventative, to give healthcare workers a quick and easy way to signal for help without needing to wait for an incident to escalate. When activated, hospital security is signaled with the staff’s ID and precise location, wherever they are on the hospital complex. Everyone wearing a button in close proximity is also alerted, so that nearby colleagues can step in and help defuse and de-escalate. The platform is built to adapt to any health system complex, and configured for continuous monitoring to ensure the system remains fully operational at all times.

ROH: You worked for big tech, including Google, before you founded Canopy. What are lessons learned at bigger operations that you have used when founding your own company?

SS: One of the biggest lessons I’ve carried with me is the importance of focus: “Keep the main thing the main thing.” When you’re building a company, especially in a startup environment, there’s a lot of noise and differing opinions to navigate. I’ve learned how crucial it is to distill what’s truly essential from all the distractions. This helps keep teams aligned and working toward a common goal. In any group setting where ideas and perspectives vary, it’s easy to get sidetracked by minor details or tangential discussions. But staying focused on the core issue and figuring out the next actionable step is key to solving meaningful problems.

ROH: Hospital and health system HR directors in particular seem to like Canopy. What is the link between Canopy and health system retention? How does Canopy’s technology contribute to higher retention rates and job satisfaction?

SS: Hospitals exist to provide the best care possible, and to do so effectively, they need to support and protect the staff who deliver that care. The fact is, administrators have limited awareness of what’s happening within the bustling corridors and sprawling wings of their hospital complexes. As campuses have expanded, it’s become increasingly difficult to deliver the kind of real time support that builds confidence among frontline workers that help will be there when they need it. And that lack of support has exacerbated some of the industry’s most contentious workforce woes, from labor shortages and low retention to unprecedented burnout rates. Personal safety is at the bottom of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and when healthcare workers feel safe, they are not only more satisfied with their jobs, but also more engaged and capable of providing better patient care. Hospitals that invest in the safety and well-being of their employees, particularly through technologies like Canopy’s, gain a significant competitive edge in the race for clinical talent. The healthcare labor market is more competitive than ever, and facilities that can demonstrate a commitment to protecting their staff will have a distinct advantage when it comes to recruitment and retention.

ROH: In the more than 40 health systems Canopy is in, you are able to provide unique insights back to the systems about when Canopy is deployed. What are some findings you have found throughout your work?

SS: In 2023, our data found that violence impacted more than 10% of all hospital staff last year in virtually every role, from nurses to physicians, to cafeteria and gift shop workers. And while most people might instinctively associate violence in hospitals with emergency departments, we discovered that these incidents occur in every area of the hospital campus. Last year, hospital staff triggered 22,000 alerts requesting immediate help with an emerging threat or active violence among 200,000 employees equipped with Canopy duress buttons. While the largest share of these alerts originated in emergency departments (40.5%), nearly two-thirds happened in other areas of the hospital, underscoring the importance of safeguarding staff everywhere, throughout the health system. Our data has also revealed some other unexpected trends. For example, despite weekends and holidays being some of the busiest and often understaffed times for hospitals, the number of alerts during these periods was lower than anticipated. My personal favorite data point we’ve been able to identify, however, is a 9% increase in incidents during full moons – validating a long-standing and previously anecdotal belief among healthcare professionals that full moons are harbingers of the unexpected in hospitals. Insights like these allow us to work closely with health systems to improve safety measures and address the unique challenges healthcare professionals face at work.

ROH: In what ways do you see Canopy’s approach influence broader industry standards for healthcare workplace safety?

SS: I believe our technology is actively redefining what personal protective equipment (PPE) looks like in healthcare. Just as masks and gloves protect healthcare workers from physical and biological hazards, wearable safety technology is emerging as a critical component in safeguarding staff from workplace violence. Hospitals are full of humans, and humans can be unpredictable. The rise in aggression and violence has made technology like Canopy a necessity rather than a luxury. I foresee wearable safety becoming standard equipment in hospitals and healthcare settings across the country, embedded within the broader framework of PPE. Beyond the moral obligation to protect healthcare workers, this technology provides hospitals with a cost-effective way to enhance existing security measures without the ongoing expense of traditional security personnel or infrastructure. By integrating wearable safety devices into PPE, hospitals can foster a safer, more supportive environment—one that not only attracts top talent but also ensures a more engaged, satisfied workforce, ultimately leading to better patient care.

ROH: How has your technology evolved since founding the company 5 years ago?

SS: Like all tech products, we evolve as the needs of our customers evolve. The battery life is now 7 years old; it started at two years. The system records a complete transcript of each incident for post-mortem review, and has active shooter and dangerous location modes. We’ve expanded into parking garages and outdoor parking lots, as well as home health, one of the fastest growing areas of healthcare. Our panic buttons are now smaller and more discreet. We continue to innovate hand-in-hand with our customers.

About Shan Sinha

Shan is an experienced entrepreneur with deep expertise in building successful B2B SaaS and hardware companies. He’s founded multiple VC backed startups, including DocVerse (acquired by Google) and Highfive (acquired by Dialpad, having recently hit $200m ARR).

He’s currently the co-founder and CEO of Canopy, which provides Canopy Protect, a cloud-based IoT service designed to help hospitals keep workers like nurses, physicians and technicians safe from patients or patient families becoming aggressive or violent. Canopy Protect is now protecting nearly 200,000 health care workers around the United States and continues to grow rapidly.