Mechanical Engineering · Founder · Boulder, CO
Gavin Worrell
I’m a mechanical engineering student at CU Boulder, and I want to build things that change how the world works. Right now I’m building a vehicle that flies and swims at Liminal Stratum. I also run Locked In Athletics, my gymnastics backpack company.
Gavin Worrell — Founder & Chief Engineer, Liminal Stratum
- 4.0
- GPA · Mechanical Engineering
- Founder
- Liminal Stratum · Locked In Athletics
- 500+
- Backpacks sold, Locked In Athletics
- $50K+
- 2025 revenue, Locked In Athletics
Liminal Stratum
Founder, CEO & Chief Engineer · Jun 2026 – Present · Boulder, CO
I started Liminal Stratum my sophomore year at CU Boulder. We’re building an unmanned vehicle that can fly, dive into the water, run submerged, and come back out to fly again. The missions we’re designing for are anti-submarine warfare, sea mine clearance, and Navy ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance).
I own the CAD and mechanical design: the airframe and hull, propulsion layout, sealed electronics bay, and folding rotor arms. I’m also recruiting engineers and leading a cross-functional team across mechanical, electronics, and software. On the business side, I run fundraising, including a NAWCAD BAA (Broad Agency Announcement) proposal and outreach to defense-focused VCs and angel investors, and I network across the defense industry to build relationships for the company with customers, partners, and investors.
Design targets: 60 mph in the air, 17.4 knots (about 20 mph) underwater, and a 3:1 thrust-to-weight ratio. We’re targeting first flight by December 1, 2026.
Design & engineering process
Most air-sea systems use two vehicles: a drone that carries and drops an underwater one. I went with a single airframe that does both. That means the structure, propulsion, and electronics all have to survive air and water, which is the hard part.
It takes off vertically, folds its rotor arms before entering the water, and switches to a dedicated underwater thruster once it’s submerged. The electronics sit in a sealed dry bay. We’re currently prototyping for the first flight test.
For navigation, the plan is GPS and inertial sensing in the air, then inertial and depth data underwater where GPS can’t reach, with sonar for finding objects. The software is still being built.
Major milestones
- 01Wrote the business plan and vehicle concept, then founded Liminal Stratum.
- 02Built the first full CAD model of the airframe, folding arms, and propulsion system.
- 03Reworked the hull profile, arm hinges, and electronics bay after analyzing water entry.
- 04Added an underwater thruster and a sonar nose cone to the design.
- 05Registered on SAM.gov and started preparing a NAWCAD BAA proposal.
- 06Started recruiting engineers and building investor materials.
- 07Started 3D printing the outer body for the first prototype.
CU Boulder engineering projects
GEEN 1400 · FORMULA SAE · CU AUTONOMOUS RACING · AUG 2025 – PRESENT
Eddy-current braking system — GEEN 1400
My GEEN 1400 team of five built an eddy-current braking prototype to see whether it could help semi-trucks on long downhill grades. I designed the electromagnet enclosure and integrated the aluminum rotor, and my teammates handled the electrical system and simulation. We scored concepts on function, safety, cost, and appearance, and testing ruled out two that didn’t work.
I changed the housing so it mounted straight to the rotor assembly, which got rid of a separate support structure. A handheld drill spun the rotor with electromagnets on both sides. That kept us under budget and let us compare deceleration with the magnets off and on.
Tested result
8.2× angular deceleration
With the electromagnets on, angular deceleration went up by a factor of 8.2 compared to off. That’s a prototype-scale result, not proof it would work on a full-size truck.
High-voltage junction box — Formula SAE
On CU Boulder’s Formula Society of Automotive Engineers team, two teammates and I designed the high-voltage junction box that distributes power from the car’s accumulator. The box had to meet a specific set of requirements to work on the car, so I worked with the electrical and integration leads to build the design around them.
Chassis & mounts — CU Autonomous Racing
Mechanical Engineer · Aug 2026 – Present
I’m working on the CAD model of the team’s chassis. Working on an autonomous car has meant developing an overall understanding of how its mechanical, electrical, and software systems depend on each other.
Across these projects I’ve learned that a lot of mechanical design is really about the electrical system, the manufacturing limits, and the test plan.
Locked In Athletics
Founder & CEO · Dec 2022 – Present · Houston, TX / Boulder, CO
I’ve been a gymnast most of my life. I trained at Above The Bar Gymnastics Academy in Kemah, TX from 2014 to 2023 and competed through Level 10. Anyone who’s done the sport knows the problem: chalk gets on everything, and grips end up thrown in with clean clothes and shoes. I looked for a bag that kept them separate and couldn’t find one, so at 16 I decided to build it myself.
I designed the backpack from scratch, built and tested prototypes, and then found manufacturing partners in China and Mexico to produce it. Beyond the product, I ran the whole business myself: pricing, sales, marketing, production runs, and custom orders for teams. Every version of the bag has been shaped by feedback from gymnasts who actually use it.
In 2025 we passed $50,000 in revenue and 500 backpacks sold, including team orders for the U.S. Air Force Academy and the Jamaican National Gymnastics Team.
Design & manufacturing process
The core idea is a modular compartment system that keeps chalk and grips separate from clean gear. A hinged horizontal divider closes off the bottom chalk compartment, and the bag also has a removable grip pouch, adjustable vertical dividers, and PE board for structure.
I built version 1.0 in early 2024 and handed it to gymnasts to use, including my own teammates. Their feedback changed the compartment layout, the straps, and the exterior materials for version 2.0, which I then got ready for production.
Major milestones
- 01Founded Locked In Athletics at 16 and built the first backpack prototype.
- 02Tested version 1.0 with gymnasts and used their feedback to shape version 2.0.
- 03Redesigned the compartments, straps, and materials for version 2.0.
- 04Sold more than 500 backpacks and generated over $50,000 in 2025 revenue, with orders from the U.S. Air Force Academy and the Jamaican National Gymnastics Team.
- 05Exhibited version 2.0 at DevNationals 2026.
- 06Signed a manufacturing and distribution partnership agreement to expand production.
Background
Athletics · Advisory · Coaching · Education
Competitive gymnastics
I trained at Above The Bar Gymnastics Academy in Kemah, TX from 2014 to 2023 and competed through Level 10 JE. I qualified for JO Nationals, Future Stars Nationals at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, and the R3 Elite Team, and was named an Academic All-American. A lot of what I later designed for Locked In Athletics came straight from years in the gym.
Business Advisor — SimpleLawTX
May – Aug 2026 · Texas. Advised on marketing strategy, client acquisition, and brand development; produced ad campaigns and video scripts for TradeWise Legal, a tradesperson-focused legal brand.
Gymnastics Coach — Above The Bar
Jun – Aug 2023 · Kemah, TX. Coached recreational gymnasts ages 4 to 10 on form, flexibility, strength, and technique.
Education & skills
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Minor in Business Finance · University of Colorado Boulder · Aug 2025 – May 2029
- GPA 4.0 / 4.0 · Dean's List every semester
- SAT 1550 (99th percentile)
- Academic All-American · JO Nationals · Future Stars Nationals · R3 Elite Team
- Engineering
- Mechanical design · Systems engineering · Tolerance analysis · DFMA (design for manufacturing and assembly) · Root cause analysis · Prototyping · Testing & validation
- Software
- SolidWorks · Onshape · MATLAB · Adobe Illustrator
- Programming
- C++ · JavaScript · Embedded systems
- Hardware
- 3D printing · Electrical systems · Electromechanical design · Electromagnetics
- Manufacturing
- Process design · Supplier and vendor management · Quality control · Production scale-up