KC Armstrong, MSEE, is Nocturnal's Founder & President.

Q: Three of Nocturnal’s clients have active implants in humans this year. What does that represent for you and your team?

KC: Anyone in the medical device field knows that’s no small thing. Actual clinical use is when ideas and engineering stop being theoretical and finally meet patients. It’s a huge achievement. 

And reaching that point safely and efficiently is never “luck” — it’s the product of focus, persistence, and trust. It’s when all of the late nights, debugging, and documentation start to mean something tangible.

Q: Are these the kind of outcomes you imagined when you started Nocturnal? 

KC: When I started Nocturnal 14 years ago, my goal wasn’t to be yet another design services company. I’d spent years inside the medical device world and in design services. I knew how hard it was for startups to navigate the path from proof-of-concept to human studies, especially under the pressures of funding, milestones, and regulatory demands. I know that what they needed wasn’t just engineering horsepower; they needed a partner who understood the whole lifecycle and could adapt to where they were along their development path.

Q: What makes Nocturnal uniquely positioned to help clients achieve these milestones?

KC: We’re not just hardware designers or firmware developers — we all think about the system and the patient. Our team includes engineers, regulatory experts, and product strategists who understand how every decision at the bench ripples through verification, validation, and ultimately, clinical use.

We work on a range of devices — from implantables and wearables to ultra-low-power devices and cloud-connected systems that turn biosignals into clinical insights. But what truly makes this team special isn’t just the depth of experience we bring to projects — it’s our mindset.

Q: You often describe Nocturnal as a “trusted partner.” What does that mean to you?

KC: It’s not just a tagline, and it’s not about complying with a contract. It’s about being in the room when the hard decisions get made — when a team has to pivot, simplify, or take a calculated risk to stay alive. It’s about asking the uncomfortable questions that save months later and never saying, “that’s not our problem.” For me, trust is earned through action — by showing up, solving problems, and doing whatever it takes to keep the project moving forward.

We approach every project as if it were our own company. Our milestone-pricing model reinforces a mindset that is cost-aware, schedule-aware, and focused on the milestones that really matter. We don’t overbuild for the sake of process, but we don’t cut corners either. It’s all about balance — defining what’s critical now, what can wait, and making sure our clients are ready when success comes faster than they expect.

Q: Milestone-based pricing model is not common in this industry. Why take that approach?

KC: Because it reflects how we view our relationships with clients — built on transparency, accountability, and shared goals. Through my many years in design services prior to Nocturnal, I was never comfortable with exchanging money for time. Startups don’t just need our time - they need a solution. Most firms still bill by the hour, but startups need predictability. They deserve to know what they’ll get, when they’ll get it, and what it will cost.

Pricing by milestones puts the focus on outcomes, not effort. We shoulder the uncertainty so our partners can focus on building value. It’s the exception in medical device development, but for us, it’s the only way that makes sense.

Q: What’s next for Nocturnal and your clients?

KC: For the startups that have reached human studies, this is where the real impact begins. It means they’ve built a solid foundation of technical capability and risk management. Now comes the learning, the data, and the refinement that lead to improved clinical experiences and, eventually, to commercialization.

For our team, it’s about continuing to be the partner that makes those leaps possible — combining technical rigor, relentless collaboration, and the belief that true innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s also a reminder of what makes us different: a commitment to shared accountability, to building lasting partnerships, and to bringing breakthrough technologies safely and swiftly into the hands of clinicians and patients who need them most.