Our Story

2023

A person smiling and laughing in a modern, spacious workshop or classroom with tables, computers, and a weather model or design on a board.

Vault began as a question. How do you quantify agility? Two years ago, our founder and engineer, Joshua Gao, took on this challenge posed by Yale Athletics as part of a classroom project. The goal? Develop a system to measure the location, timing, and force behind every step an athlete makes. This led him to Yale’s engineering labs, where he spent the following summer inventing a new kind of sensor— one that could capture rich movement data of elite athletes. Existing tech didn’t cut it—so he built his own, using quantum tunneling composites woven into gym-standard rubber flooring. Yale patented the design, and Joshua licensed the technology. Vault was born.

Person jumping onto a padded mat in a gym with black walls, while three others observe. The room has green flooring and a large tire in the background.
Person jumping on a black exercise mat in a gym, wearing a white t-shirt, black shorts, and black running shoes.

While others proposed using the sensor tech in robotics or logistics, we were drawn to a more human goal: unlocking athletic potential.

A shuffleboard game on a dark, glittery surface with numbered circles outlined in pink and white sticks for sliding pucks, some of which are off the board.

2024

Five men standing together at an indoor conference, smiling at the camera. They are wearing name tags and have various casual outfits. The background shows booths and other attendees.

By the next summer, a small team had formed. We began testing our flooring system in gyms and with sports teams, offering data insights and performance analysis. As interest grew, so did the vision. People began asking if they could buy it. In the fall, we partnered with MF Athletic to bring Vault to market. Word spread—even reaching executives at the NBA.

A group of four young men standing inside an office, with one woman taking a selfie in the foreground, smiling.
Two individuals working on a large cornhole game board laid out on the floor in a workshop or classroom setting, surrounded by tables, tools, and storage cabinets.

This summer, we’re launching our first product: a modular flooring system designed to capture, analyze, and learn from human motion. Our goal is to use this data to detect movement inefficiencies, prevent injuries, and push the limits of human performance. Let’s Vault!

2025

A group of young people in a classroom with one person standing and three seated, some using laptops, with a whiteboard and a large projection screen behind them.

Smarter Floors. Stronger Athletes.

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