VALD was established in January 2015 by co-founders Laurie Malone and Sam James: best friends living in a share house in Brisbane.
What would one day become VALD, was born out of a research and design collaboration at the Queensland University of Technology, where VALD’s first product, the NordBord, was conceived.
At the completion of Dr. Tony Shield’s and Dr. David Opar’s research, QUT Bluebox was looking to commercialise the NordBord; and Sam’s intimate knowledge of the device led him to believe an opportunity existed.
He presented this idea to Laurie who agreed that the NordBord had the potential to change the way hamstring strength was measured around the world.
Six years on from its humble beginnings around the share house dining room table, VALD has grown to a team of 95 staff, expanded internationally with offices in the UK and US and has a suite of six products from a combination of internal development and external acquisitions.