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Vail Horton uses Entrepreneur Scholar program to launch innovative crutch, found a non-profit

Portland Magazine

Business

Philosophy

Alumni

Franz Center

International Languages and Cultures

June 20, 2019

This article is part of a series of profiles of Entrepreneur Scholar alumni. University of Portland's Entrepreneur Scholars program is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2019. 

Vail Horton

Class of 2002 Major: Interdisciplinary (Business, Philosophy, Spanish)

Vail Horton

The Project

I started an innovative underarm crutch company. The “Keen” crutch included shock absorption and pivoting crutch tip and is aesthetically stylish and sexy.

The Why

I depended on crutches for my daily mobility almost my entire life, as I walked using prosthetic limbs. As of 2001–02, crutches had not been updated since the days of pirates and peg-legs. I had survived so many slips, falls. I had destroyed my wrists and shoulders. I innovated crutches out of necessity.

From There

After innovating a crutch, we moved on to other durable medical products, i.e., wheelchairs, walkers, and mattresses.

The Easy Part

Ideas!

Advice "Untaken"

Work for someone else first.

Lesson

When starting your own company, make sure that the idea doesn’t become your baby. You don’t want to coddle the idea. Let it breathe and live on its own, apart from your identity. Allow the market and customers to say what they have to say. Embrace other perspectives. Be inquisitive about other perspectives.

Superpower

Getting in front of anyone—truly anyone—to share my vision.

Weakness

I love to see the future for what I think it should be, but I live too much in the future.

Now

I still own Keen but have retired from the day-to-day. I work full time for the nonprofit I started, which unlocks the potential of people. I want people to understand that pain and challenges are not bad things, and I want to help people love themselves.

PHOTO: Adam Guggenheim