Vincent Vu: A Startup Perspective On “Balance” As A New Vital Sign In Healthcare

At a time when artificial intelligence is reshaping healthcare, most healthtech startups still focus on cardiovascular data, sleep, or nutrition. But for Vincent Vu, the question is much more fundamental: “What happens when humans lose the ability to stand steady?”

Vincent Vu doesn’t follow the beaten path. With over 15 years of experience spanning engineering, advanced manufacturing, and entrepreneurship, he took an unexpected turn: making balance health a new vital sign in healthcare. From architecture to business teaching, every step of his journey sharpened his systems thinking and innovation mindset. Observing the impact of balance on older adults’ quality of life spurred him into action. For Vincent, balance cannot be a secondary concern; it needs to be monitored just like blood pressure or heart rate.

We had a deep conversation with Vincent Vu to explore his personal journey and how he transformed the concept “Balance is the New Vital Sign™” into a practical, scalable solution, completely different from traditional approaches. This is not just a story about technology; it’s about an engineer-turned-entrepreneur who turned injury into a turning point, seeing in balance a measure of longevity, independence, and life quality.

You began in architecture, advanced manufacturing, and even teaching business before moving into healthcare, a field often seen as traditional and slow to change. What part of that journey led you to focus on balance health as the core of your startup?

My path into healthcare wasn’t straightforward. In 2017, while working as a Director of Engineering and finishing my MBA, I suffered a running injury. The treatment options I was given felt superficial and reactive, more like temporary fixes than real solutions. Out of frustration, I started digging into the science behind my injury.

That curiosity quickly turned into obsession. I explored human evolution, looking at how we’ve moved over the last 2 million years, as well as biomechanics, gait, and foot anatomy. I discovered that our bodies are designed for natural movement, but modern life and footwear have weakened that foundation.

That realization pushed me to launch Kinis Barefoot, a minimalist shoe company. I had no background in footwear, but I believed so strongly in restoring natural movement that I jumped in anyway. From day one, our shoes were rooted in science, and that effort paid off; two of our products earned the Seal of Approval from the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA).

In 2022, I decided to put my conviction to the ultimate test: I ran a barefoot marathon. For me, it was more than a race, it was a living experiment proving the body’s ability to adapt, rebuild, and regain the natural strength I had lost.

Many healthtech founders are inspired by something personal. For you, was there an experience in life or work that made you pay special attention to balance and mobility and pushed you to start building Kinis.ai?

Yes. The original spark came directly from Kinis Barefoot. We kept getting questions about balance from our customers. At first, I thought it was a niche concern, but the more I dug in, the more I realized the scale of the problem.

In the U.S., falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among adults over 65. According to the CDC, one in four older adults falls each year, costing over $80 billion annually. Yet most balance assessments only happen after a fall, when the damage has already occurred. That didn’t make sense to me.

Since day one at Kinis Barefoot, we’ve been rooted in science. Designing footwear to restore natural movement taught me the importance of clinical alignment. That same philosophy carried over to Kinis.ai, where our BalancePro Exam™ is built on protocols recommended by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), such as the Single-Leg Stance test.

There are already ways to test mobility and balance in medicine. In your view, what is the biggest difference that Kinis.ai brings compared to traditional methods?

The biggest difference is that traditional methods are reactive and manual. Balance tests usually occur in physical therapy clinics, after a fall or visible decline. They’re done by hand, making them subjective, inconsistent, and lacking measurable outcomes.

With Kinis.ai, we’ve built a system that is proactive, standardized, and scalable. The BalancePro Exam™ digitizes APTA gold-standard tests like the Single-Leg Stance (SLS), delivering objective data in five minutes using just an iPad.

Our AI models are trained on real patient data from clinics to ensure scientific accuracy. Clinicians and patients aren’t just getting a score, they’re getting a tool that transforms raw signals into Movement Intelligence™, insights that guide treatment, track progress, and prevent falls before they happen.

How has Kinis.ai turned this idea into practical solutions, such as the BalancePro Exam and the KinisStep Smart Band?

We built two core solutions that work together:

BalancePro Exam™ – a quick, AI-powered assessment using an iPad to track 17 body joints and measure functional balance. It produces a precise Balance Score™ and a personalized report with targeted exercises.
KinisStep™ Smart Band, a wearable for Continuous Movement Monitoring (CMM). It captures gait, cadence, step width, and other key mobility metrics in real-world settings.

From a patient’s perspective, how do you hope this will change everyday healthcare?

From a patient’s perspective, it’s about making care accessible, proactive, and continuous. Balance testing shouldn’t only happen after someone falls.

Here’s a typical patient journey:

• Initial Screening: A patient visits a primary care or PT clinic. Instead of waiting for a fall, the clinician runs a five-minute BalancePro Exam™, analyzing 17 joints and generating a Balance Score™.
• Personalized Plan: The patient receives a Balance Health Report™ with risk level and exercises designed by licensed physical therapists, assigned directly through the portal.
• At-Home Engagement: Patients continue care at home via guided video exercises, while the KinisStep™ Smart Band captures daily gait and movement data, giving clinicians real-world insights.
• Remote Monitoring & Telehealth: Clinicians review progress, adjust exercises, and provide support via telehealth. This transforms care into a continuous loop rather than episodic visits.

You’re piloting in both the U.S. and Vietnam. Why include Vietnam, and what strengths do you see in its healthcare environment?

Vietnam is my birthplace, so this work is deeply personal. Bringing world-class preventive care home to serve millions of Vietnamese is incredibly meaningful.

It’s also strategic: Vietnam has a rapidly aging population, a healthcare system eager for digital solutions, and a rehabilitation community motivated to deliver better outcomes. This combination makes it an ideal environment to prove the value of Balance Health™.

Our Vietnam pilots are led by a talented local team, including clinic operations, medical validation, and scientific oversight, working alongside our U.S. science team. Early results are encouraging, patients show significant balance improvements within three weeks.

We aim to make preventive balance screening accessible to the middle market, creating scalable, affordable solutions. Pilots in both countries demonstrate that Balance Health™ is globally relevant and locally adaptable, with a vision to set a new standard of preventive care across borders, cultures, and healthcare systems, starting in my home country.

If balance were measured regularly, like blood pressure, what would it mean for an aging society?

We believe Balance Health™ will become the next vital sign. Balance checks will be as routine, quick, simple, and universal as blood pressure readings.

Our Movement Intelligence™ Platform bridges clinic and home. Patients can take the BalancePro Exam™ at home and extend care through the KinisStep™ Smart Band, enabling remote patient monitoring (RPM) and telehealth integration.

We asked Vincent for his perspective: Is balance truly a measure of independence and life quality? Could Balance Score™ appear in every health record within the next five years?

Vincent responded: “We hope so. With clinical rigor, AI-driven insights, and patient-centered design, Kinis.ai aims to make balance monitoring routine, proactive, and actionable for everyone.”

Thank you to Vincent Vu for sharing his journey. We wish him and Kinis.ai continued success in helping people live safer, more independent lives.

Come meet Vincent Vu at Vietcetera Healthcare Summit 2025, themed by “Making Vietnam an Innovation Hub through Healthcare” will bring together healthcare leaders, investors, policymakers and innovators. This year's summit will be a dynamic convergence focused on healthcare innovation, investment and accessibility through digital health solutions. We will explore how investment and innovation can accelerate the healthcare transformation in Vietnam and beyond.

Date and Time: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, 24 October, 2025
Location: JW Marriott Hotel & Suites Saigon, Corner Hai Ba Trung Street & Le Duan Boulevard, Sai Gon Ward, HCMCSpecial thanks to our sponsors & partners for accompanying us in this event:
Pharmacity (Major Partner); HSBC, DKT Mekong, Bayer (Engagement Partner); JW Marriott Hotel & Suites Saigon (Venue Partner) , Vietcetera (Media Partner); UK Embassy, Britcham Vietnam, Hello Bacsi (Communications Partner).