Piavita started with the match between a technology that allows for high-precision vital sign measurement through layers and a strong market need for improvement in the field of veterinary medicine. In a first step, we were overall aiming to digitize veterinary care with a wireless, wearable device that allows veterinarians to track vitals continuously and remotely without direct skin contact. Later we decided to focus on vital sign detection for horses. We all had a regular job and Piavita was still our weekend / night project before we came to BAS and were invited to present there at very short notice.
At that time, October 2015, it was our very first pitch and we had to develop a lot of materials that were relevant for investors as until then, we strongly focused on development and tech-market-fit. The pitch went well, we scored among the top 1% of all past pitches. That gave us the push to really start the (ad)venture. We got 18 interested business angels for the follow-up meetings. Although the final amount invested was not huge, our benefit was in winning the support of three experienced angels: Daniel Ammann, Paul Peyrot and Yves von Ballmoos. They opened their network for us and helped us to win initial clients and grow faster.
We are proud of sticking to the plan and the budgets, which has widely impressed investors and partners. Our approach was very lean, aiming to be early in the market. I established the first contacts using a 3D-printed prototype and through this, we pre-sold out our first production lot. With the additional funding of a Silicon Valley VC, Piavita is now selling in all the German speaking countries and has more than 80 veterinary clinics as clients. We employ 35 people today in our offices in Zurich and Berlin. Our biggest challenge right now are internationalization and scaling to reach our target to establish a new standard in the veterinary market very soon.
