Concept creation & exploration
From unmet needs and invention to system architecture, design alternatives and inventive solutions.
A TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT STUDIO ✳ MEDTECH + DRUG DELIVERY
The most interesting devices don't exist yet.
I help ambitious founders and development teams turn complex medical technology ideas into products worth building.
✳Concept. Feasibility. Engineering.
Built to move the hard ideas forward.
Built to move the hard ideas forward.
CONCEPT STUDYPD / 001
FROM QUESTION → TESTABLE CONCEPT
VIEW
01 / THE THINKINGWHY PLATFORM DEVICES
I like the messy front end.
The stage before the requirements are settled. Before the architecture is obvious. When the science is promising, but the product isn't real yet.
That's where the most valuable questions live—and where I do my best work. Platform Devices brings hands-on creativity, disciplined engineering and the perspective of someone who has taken technologies well beyond the prototype bench.
What I can help you solve ↗01Find the right question.
Understand what must be true before committing capital and time.
02Make it tangible.
Translate ideas into architectures, prototypes and evidence.
03Build a credible path.
Connect early engineering choices to users, risk and commercialization.
02 / THE WORKHOW IDEAS MOVE FORWARD
Where imagination meets engineering.
Not a generic menu of consulting services. Focused help at the inflection points that shape a medical technology venture.
DEFINE THE POSSIBILITY
Feasibility & prototyping
Fast, meaningful experiments that reveal what's possible, what's risky and what should happen next.
Drug delivery & device strategy
Delivery-system architecture, technology choices and development pathways for medical devices and combination products.
Technical leadership & venture building
Product roadmaps, early teams, development partners and technical judgment when the stakes are high.
03 / COLLABORATIONDIFFERENT WAYS TO BUILD
The right kind of partnership for your stage.
Whether you're testing an idea or building the organization around one, the engagement should fit the problem—not the other way around.
01 / EXPLORE↗
Concept sprint
Define the opportunity, pressure-test the concept and leave with a focused, actionable next step.
Founders · New ventures02 / DEVELOP↗
Development partner
Bring the right mix of technical problem-solving, prototyping and specialized development resources.
Startup teams · Biopharma03 / LEAD↗
CTO & venture partnership
Explore selective advisory, fractional leadership or deeper executive and co-building opportunities.
Ambitious teams · InvestorsEngagements and leadership opportunities are evaluated selectively, subject to availability and appropriate conflict-of-interest review.
04 / THE FOUNDATIONEXPERIENCE THAT TRAVELS
Inventive thinking. Real-world perspective.
The best early decisions come from understanding what it actually takes to develop, validate and bring a device to market.
Wearable and injection platforms
Experience with large-volume injection, wearable delivery technologies, prefilled systems and product platforms spanning development through commercialization.
Surgical and procedural innovation
A background in orthopedic devices, implant-related instrumentation and practical problem-solving at the intersection of anatomy, mechanism and workflow.
From technology to product
Building engineering organizations and development ecosystems across design controls, user needs, suppliers, quality and technical operations.
SELECTED PUBLIC CAREER HIGHLIGHTSMORE ON LINKEDIN ↗
WEARABLE DELIVERYImperium Instant Patch Pump
Development leadership for a prefilled, preassembled wearable insulin delivery concept.
CATHETER TECHNOLOGYHeartSpan Steerable Sheath
Innovation in handling and placement for transseptal catheter procedures.
ORTHOPEDIC DEVICESSynFix Implant & Instrumentation
Development of spinal fusion systems and surgical instrumentation.
These themes reflect Lawton's individual career experience, not an assertion that the companies or products referenced were Platform Devices clients or endorse this business. Illustrations are original, conceptual artwork.
05 / THE PERSONFOUNDER-LED BY DESIGN
LL
ENGINEER × INVENTOR × BUILDER
✳CURIOUS ABOUT
WHAT'S POSSIBLE.
WHAT'S POSSIBLE.
HELLO, I'M LAWTON LAURENCE.
An engineer at heart. A builder by instinct.
I've spent my career turning challenging ideas into working technology—and leading the teams that make those technologies real.
My background spans early invention, mechanical and systems development, drug delivery, medical devices and leadership of complex combination-product portfolios. Along the way, I've worked across startup environments and major life-sciences organizations, including senior development roles at West Pharmaceutical Services and Apellis Pharmaceuticals.
What still energizes me most is the earliest stage: untangling a difficult problem, finding an inventive technical path and creating the first proof that something could work.
Through Platform Devices, I want to meet founders, scientists and builders working on ideas that genuinely matter.
THE KIND OF CHALLENGE I LOVE
“We're not entirely sure how to build this yet.”
That's a good place to start. Especially when the problem is technically interesting, the need is real and the people behind it are prepared to challenge assumptions.
OPEN TO INTERESTING CONVERSATIONS
Got an idea worth exploring?
You don't need a polished pitch deck. A difficult technical question, an early concept or an ambitious vision is more than enough to start a conversation.
Please start with a non-confidential overview.