Press
Release

Phoenix From the Ashes – Software Development and Positive Signs

Phoenix From the Ashes – Software Development and Positive Signs

When the development division shut down, they were initially afraid about losing their jobs but then saw the opportunity: Company Medivation AG was founded in July 2009 and brought together the best brains of this development division. "Its closure was a stroke of luck", CEO Jan Stifter stresses today.

Switzerland is known for its medicinal technology – for precise and highly complex parts. It exports those throughout the entire world. "But there are not many companies that are strong in medical software development. And that is our focus", Jan Stifter emphasizes. It is precisely here that he sees the opportunity for his company, Medivation AG. As a software engineer at an Aarau medical technology provider, Stifter was involved in medical navigation systems for orthopedics. When in 2009, the company decided to discontinue project development, there were certain repercussions: The core development team and its head, Stifter were outsourced. And this was simultaneously the birth of the Medivation Company that ensured continued system support.

Technopark® start

Since 1 January 2010, the Medivation Company is located in the Technopark® in Windisch. The four founders hired an additional partner in the area of production. As a quasi-gift to the start-up, the company received a contract from their previous employer for assuming the support and engineering of the medical navigation system for knee operations whose production had been stopped. "We are ensuring engineering support for the approximately 180 devices worldwide", Stifter explains and then mentions other development projects. "At the Windisch location, we are building motors for mini-robots. These optical electromagnetic systems are very important in medicinal technology. For the production of these parts, an ISO certification for our company is obligatory. The so-called ‘Sureshot System’ is a further project of ours. It is used for drilling bones, for example after a fracture. Thanks to Sureshot, precise drillings are possible without the use of x-rays. At the same time, we are working on programming a web-based database for medical systems."

Fast-growing market

"We are not necessarily fixated on the orthopedic market", he explains. For although this market is growing very quickly, it is close to saturation at a very high level. And this is precisely what he and his team consider an opportunity: "Since we are focused on technology and not on the marketplace, we are open to new areas. Naturally, we would also gladly perform research ourselves but this is not easily affordable for a start-up company. We are driven by our ideas and we are set on realizing them. Since the medical technology area in Switzerland is very large and since we have a good network at our disposal, we consider our chances to be great. We aim at achieving a basic turnover with our own products and then develop the technology further."

"Spirit of innovation"

Medivation AG chose the Technopark® as its home with its eyes wide open: "We assumed that at this location, the ‘spirit of innovation’ would be alive and we have not been disappointed. Aargau was an easy choice for us, since we work in the IT industry and are active in the medical technology industry both internationally and in Europe, the proximity of the two airports is ideal. To sum it up: the strategic decision in favour of Aargau was the right step. In our view, the Medivation AG is perfectly positioned."

www.medivation.ch

Contact
Josef Küffner
Project Manager Aargau Services Economic Promotion
Department of Economy and Interior
Rain 53, CH-5001 Aarau

Tel: +41 62 835 24 40
Fax: +41 62 835 24 19
E-Mail: josef.kueffner@ag.ch
www.aargauservices.com