Labster is a company that develops virtual lab simulations for science education. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Labster Chief Product and Technology Officer Bjørn Toft Madsen to gain a deeper understanding of the company.
Background
What is Toft Madsen’s background? Madsen said:
“Before joining the Labster team last year as Chief Technology and Product Officer, I spent the majority of my career working in the gaming industry with companies like Xbox, Microsoft, and King. In these roles, I worked with emerging technologies like augmented reality (AR), full-body motion sensors, smart speakers, global video services, and platform technologies.
While I found the gaming industry an incredibly interesting place to work and build my career, my principal passion has always been how we can use technology to improve education and accessibility. In 2018, I joined Education First to product manage EF’s global education technology platform across Zurich, Shanghai, and London. That same year, I became a member of TIGA’s Education Committee, which works with the Department for Education to ensure the UK’s education system produces successful graduates for the games industry. Labster was the ideal next step for my career thanks to this blend of edtech and gaming expertise I’ve been able to build.”
Primary Responsibilities
Toft Madsen reflects on his role at the company.
“At Labster, I lead and oversee the Product Management and Software Engineering teams. A majority of this work looks like improving the company’s product portfolio through prioritization framework refinement, developing execution strategies, and rolling out the technical delivery processes. I get the exciting job of helping to shape Labster’s product roadmap and scale the global operations that will ultimately lead to a positive change for the educators and students using Labster. The company has gone through some tremendous growth and changes over the past few years so my job really is to help bring in some structure and take the company from early adoption to widespread adoption.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products? Toft Madsen explained:
“Labster offers two core products that redefine STEM and nursing education through immersive learning experiences. The first is Labster software, a virtual lab simulation platform supporting biology, chemistry, and physics courses at high school and university levels. Students can access Labster through their school’s Learning Management System (LMS) or via Labster’s Course Manager, depending on the institution’s setup. The platform features high-fidelity simulations for training foundational lab skills and interactive scenarios that bring theoretical concepts to life, enhancing engagement, improving learning outcomes, and preparing students for careers in STEM and healthcare.
The second product, UbiSim Virtual Reality (VR), is a VR simulation platform specifically designed for nursing education. UbiSim offers a realistic, high-fidelity training environment with an extensive catalog of clinical scenarios aligned with INACSL and Next Generation NCLEX® standards. Its intuitive editor allows educators to customize or create their own scenarios, and the platform provides complete visual and haptic immersion using commercially available Meta VR headsets and controllers. UbiSim was recently recognized as one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2024 in the Education category.
Together, Labster and UbiSim serve more than six million learners in 3,000 institutions across 100 countries, focusing on equitable learning and career readiness.”
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching?
“Since Labster’s founding in 2012, Labster has grown from a learning platform focused on virtual science simulations to a comprehensive ecosystem of science learning resources,” said Toft Madsen. “These include virtual lab simulations, lab manuals, lab reports, and 3D animated videos. The platform has demonstrated its ability to enhance learning outcomes, with studies showing that students using Labster often improve by an average of one letter grade, helping more students succeed in critical science courses.Over the years the subjects and simulation offerings have expanded into new fields, most notably, nursing. This move in particular helps us address current critical challenges in healthcare education that are in part leading to the global nursing shortage. These simulations are designed to develop clinical reasoning, collaboration, and communication skills.”
Significant Milestones
“One of our biggest milestones to date has been the acquisition of UbiSim back in 2021,” said Toft Madsen. “Labster has always been a staunch supporter of the idea that nursing is a part of STEM, and by bringing this world-class clinical simulation technology under the Labster umbrella, we were able to massively expand our nursing offerings.
Labster is used by more than 3,000 educational institutions, including top universities like Harvard, MIT, Trinity College, and Berkeley, offering simulations in multiple languages with diverse characters and accessibility for hearing and visual impairments. In 2025, we’re excited to announce additional expansions to new regions as well as new simulation offerings for our learners to explore.”
Customer Success Stories
“Over the past two years, The Loewenberg College of Nursing at The University of Memphis has seen more than 200 students go through the nursing program and adopt UbiSim’s virtual-reality platform. The technology accompanied their current educational strategies, providing an additional resource for students.
The main goal of any nursing program is to both prepare students and help them pass the Next Gen NCLEX. By leveraging UbiSim, in tandem with other learning modalities, the school saw a boosted pass rate on the NCLEX. Students even stated they got more experience leveraging the virtual-reality platform than in clinical, allowing them to have the hands-on practice needed to thrive on the job.”
