“Nothing else in the world…not all the armies…is so powerful as an idea whose time has come.” – Victor Hugo, The Future of Man .
Tiffany Tate, CEO of VAULT Technologies, a woman- and minority-owned company, can attest to this powerful truth.
As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, the rollout of revolutionary vaccines was approaching, presenting a significant challenge: coordinating a global vaccination effort. Leaders and healthcare professionals faced the daunting task of immunizing hundreds of millions while ensuring that those most at risk received priority. They had to navigate complex issues related to supply and demand, scaling production, shipping logistics, distribution, and scheduling.
How could they keep track of inventory? How could they organize appointments to minimize confusion for those eligible? A well-structured worldwide rollout needed to be conceived and implemented, as everyone—from world leaders to local clinicians—grappled with these logistics.
Fortunately, a solution emerged unexpectedly from a public health professional and longtime vaccination advocate who had never envisioned herself as a software developer. Tate developed PrepMod, an end-to-end platform that manages registrations, appointments, consent forms, back-end inventory, and reporting. Despite encountering some hiccups along the way, 44 states eventually adopted PrepMod in their vaccination strategies.
Tate grew up in California, supported by a family that nurtured her passion for public health and serving underserved populations. She earned her Master of Health Science at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and later became Executive Director of the Maryland Partnership for Prevention (MPP). Her initiatives included strategizing health service delivery in community settings—such as schools and churches—and providing training and mentorship for public health professionals.
Tiffany Tate
”Being on the front lines, working directly with people to solve big problems with seemingly simple solutions is what I do.” Tate explains. “My work is about influencing how people value their healthcare. I ran a program providing health services in schools, but to care for children without a parent present, we needed parental permission, which meant sending paper consent forms for every child. That first year, I was buried under 10,000 pieces of paper that needed to be transcribed and sent electronically to the state database and insurance companies.”
Despite sending out those paper forms, only 20-30% were returned, resulting in a significant waste of resources. Determined to find a better way, Tate conceived the idea of an electronic consent form, marking her first step into the world of digital solutions.
“I sat down one night and designed the screens and button placements. At the time, I didn’t know much about technology or anyone in the industry, so I turned to a freelancing website. I interviewed several candidates, then shared my specifications, and together we built the basic system that became the precursor to PrepMod. That’s how we ended up here.”
When asked if she was surprised that the pandemic hit just as she was bringing this solution to market, she replied, “In public health, we say it’s not a matter of if a pandemic will come, but when. When H1N1 hit, I saw people waiting in long lines, and I thought, ‘This is a mess. There has to be a better way.’”
Although she never anticipated it would be her to lead this initiative, she took the leap and created the technology to collect consent and report information electronically. After launching PrepMod, she focused on building the company that would support it and other products, now known as VAULT Technologies. The challenges she faced included starting a business, acquiring new skills, and navigating a pandemic simultaneously.
“I didn’t foresee the magnitude of COVID; it was an unprecedented situation. I was focused more on the administrative side, but the technology ultimately saved lives and accelerated the vaccine rollout.”
With a strong product in place, she recognized the need to establish a company around it, despite her limited connections in the tech industry. “We truly felt like we were building a plane in flight during a monsoon,” she says. “I learned so much, but we definitely encountered speedbumps along the way.”
In a twist of fate, a less-than-flattering article in the Los Angeles Times about PrepMod was picked up by the Sacramento Bee . This led to a serendipitous connection with her “fairy godfather,” Silicon Valley billionaire Ben Casnocha.
“After the LA Times article ran without giving us a chance to respond to their accusations, I received an email from Ben on what I considered one of my darkest days—my lead developer had just told me he was leaving due to stress. It was a tough moment. I went to bed feeling overwhelmed and woke up to an email from Ben with the subject line, ‘I can help you.’”
He connected her with a group she calls “the Super Friends”—tech professionals from major companies who volunteer their time to help small businesses like hers. “They swooped in to assist us,” she says. “I can’t name names, but these individuals from major companies fixed our systems and strengthened our architecture. I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Today, VAULT offers nine different products, but one major setback was the devastating theft of her intellectual property after she pitched PrepMod to the CDC and a multi-billion-dollar consultancy, which subsequently duplicated her platform. “Starting a business is complex. You begin with a great idea, but you must also consider how to protect yourself. For many small businesses with limited resources, hiring an attorney can seem daunting, yet it can save you tens of thousands of dollars if someone misappropriates your intellectual property.”
Credits: iStock
Initially, Tate sought legal action but ultimately decided to drop it to focus on the pandemic and vaccine rollout. “We were busy helping people save lives,” she explains.
Now, VAULT Technologies has weathered its storms and is focused on growing its talent, expanding product lines, and enhancing its reach to help the healthcare industry continue to innovate and ensure that care is accessible to those who need it most.
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