World shaper of tomorrow: Piavita transforms the veterinary industry with a holistic data approach

Zurich-based medtech startup Piavita develops a medical monitoring system for the veterinary industry and digitizes the veterinary business. Founded in 2016 by Dr. Dorina Thiess and Sascha Bührle, Piavita has offices in Switzerland, Germany, and the United States. CEO and co-founder Dr. Dorina Thiess told us about Piavita’s entrepreneurial journey from discovering the technology to turning it into a pioneering innovation to advance equine health on two continents.

Dorina first encountered the Piavita technology at the University of St. Gallen, after her PhD studies in entrepreneurship. She was on the lookout for both tech gear and experts for the students to collaborate and get more practical experience. “I asked my friend Sascha, who is an embedded systems engineer and always tinkers with technical solutions, if he had any invention that he could share,” explained Dorina. “When he told me about the technology that was later used in the Piavita systems, I was really, really stoked. We never gave the technology to the students but developed it ourselves.” That was in 2015; within six months, Piavita was incorporated.

“We were desperate for a name to make a deadline for a startup contest. My pet rabbit Pia was our guinea pig whenever we needed to test something.* Pia was sitting next to us while we worked on vital signs. We thought of ‘Pia-Vita,’ and it stuck.” – Dr. Dorina Thiess

Tapping into an industry ripe for digitization
To develop the hardware, Dorina and Sascha raised their first financing round in 2016 and had their minimum viable product (MVP) ready by 2017—which was perfect timing, as the two had already sold the solution before there was a working prototype. “We were basically sold out before we started the initial production,” said Dorina. Piavita’s innovation hit a nerve. The startup launched its first system at the end of 2018 in seven European countries and the United States. More than 45 equine clinics on the two continents now use the Piavita system to non-invasively monitor horses’ vital signs in real time.

Expanding to the US 
The early expansion to the US is unusual for a relatively young Swiss startup: “In 2018, our future North America manager told us that our product could have a large audience in the US,” explained Dorina, who was prepared to take the product launch step by step and focus on Europe first. “I thought I would challenge her and said that if she could pre-sell the system to 10 clinics, then we would set up Piavita over there. Three months later, she had 10 clinics on board.” Piavita set up shop in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2019. But that is not the only connection to the US: Piavita is also a True Venture portfolio company, a relationship that was initiated during the Venture Leader Technology 2017 roadshow in Silicon Valley.
 

“Being ranked among the TOP 100 Swiss Startups is the best evaluation that you can get and exactly the recognition that you need when looking for investors or partners.” – Dr. Dorina Thiess

Piavita bet on the right horse
Despite the international presence, Piavita develops and manufactures its product in Switzerland. “We have the ‘Made in Switzerland’ label, which is something that is not only very important to us but also proved to be great for international sales. It stands for quality and opens doors,” said Dorina. When looking at Piavita’s journey so far, it is clear that Sascha and Dorina’s innovative acumen enables them to seize opportunities and open doors (and stables). And the next big milestone is around the corner: “At the end of 2019, we got the confirmation from Innosuisse to start a new research project to adjust our system for the breeding industry,” explained Dorina. Piabreed will launch in 2021. 

*Pia was never harmed and was always treated very well.



 

About "World shapers of tomorrow: Startups building our future"

The TOP 100 book "World shapers of tomorrow: Startups building our future" shows the impact of the TOP 100 Swiss Startups over the last 10 years. On 100 pages, the publication features the facts and figures about the startup ecosystem in Switzerland, shows the sectors and geographic distribution, and lists the investors behind Swiss deeptech startups. The book also highlights disruptive companies that changed their industry: Beekeeper, Bestmile, Climeworks, Covagen, DeinDeal, Doodle, GetYourGuide, MindMaze, Scandit, and Piavita. The founders of these startups share anecdotes and discuss their successes, lessons learned, and visions for the future. A selection of 10 verticals illustrates how Swiss deeptech startups transform our lives and help us build a better and more sustainable future in relation to health, longevity, digitalization, and decentralization. Learn more and download your copy at www.top100startups.swiss/10years.

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