Founder Mark Zadvinskis joins his former professor’s industrial design firm, Shaun Jackson Design after graduating from the University of Michigan, where, together, they design for such clients as Harley Davidson, LL Bean, Nike, Herman Miller, and more.

Finding it uncomfortable working with a hot laptop on your lap, Mark and Shaun invented a portable workplace, the Lapdog, which was met with critical acclaim, won the Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEA), and was featured in the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) store collection.

Being on a college campus, Mark and Shaun recognized that soon all students would be learning from and using technology in education.

The Datakeeper was created as the first case tailored to the needs of the education industry. Not only did the Datakeeper secure your laptop, it also included a 3-ring binder and organizer that ensured free airflow to keep a laptop cool and prevent overheating while you worked right from the case.

To keep laps and laptop cool, we invented the Cooldeck surface to elevate laptops from the bottom of the case for ventilation and air circulation.

Laptrap, the education version of the Lapdog, was born. As one of the first work-out-of-the-case solution for education technology, the Laptrap transformed instantly to create a completely functional portable work environment.

With the goal of saving space in mind, we went back to the drawing board to redesign the Laptrap and introduced the Shuttle.
The Shuttle would go on to set the standard in protection and convenience to this day.

The Mini Shuttle was introduced to meet the needs of the ever increasing Netbooks that were introduced in 2007, making the Shuttle smaller, horizontal, and, of course, very cute.

Never ones to rest on our laurels, we went back to the drawing board to launch a new version of the Shuttle.We focused on slimming down the design and cutting the weight while maintaining the high-level of protection we’re known for.

The Chromebook launched and became quickly the go-to computer for the education space. Due to our design philosophy of creating bags with universal fit, our customers experienced little downtime in equipping their fresh new Chromebooks with the necessary protection.

With the popularity of the iPad ever growing, we launched new tablet sleeves with our patented X-strap - the strap that holds your hand, allowing the tablet to be held comfortably and securely.
Owing to its design and functionality, variations of the X-strap came to market shortly after its release.

In striving to best serve our customers and end users, we launched a reseller portal. In 2020, we invested further in the success of our resellers and reintroduced the program as the Peak Performer Channel Partner Program.

For our timeless and innovative design, EdTech Digest recognized Higher Ground as a trendsetter in the EdTech space.
This recognition further solidified and validated our approach to designing products that are both built for everyday use while lasting a lifetime.

Committed to sustainability, we examined the materials we source and invested in incorporating natural, renewable, and recycled materials to reduce landfill waste and our carbon footprint.

In the spirit of service and as a response to COVID-19, Higher Ground donated cases to students all over the nation to help protect their equipment as they learn from home.

This initiative led us to formalize our community service offerings by launching the Helping Hands program.