26. Paging Captain Kirk

By: Fast Company StaffMarch 1, 2005

Rob Shostak founded Vocera out of his own frustration trying to reach people who didn't work in one place, and created a wearable badge that serves as pager, phone, and walkie-talkie. "Think Star Trek here," he says. The hands-free Vocera badges, which attach to a shirt collar or belt, come equipped with wireless Internet and speech-recognition capabilities. The system's designed for a work setting: Log on and any stored information, such as voicemail, becomes instantly available. Doctors and nurses have been the biggest market so far; hotels and retailers are on the horizon. Last year, Shostak closed his biggest deal yet, outfitting 2,000 employees at UC Davis's medical center.