Startup story #14 - Healiva

Healiva tackles the problem of chronic wound treatment through a multi-faceted approach comprising four distinct products, including cell therapies and medical devices. In this brief interview, Priyanka Dutta Passecker, co-founder and CEO, discusses the project’s evolution and recent accomplishments.

What does Healiva do?
At Healiva, we are developing end-to-end wound care therapies, including cell therapies and medical devices. Every wound is unique, and our goal is to deliver personalised and optimised treatments for each patient. This is why we have designed multiple treatments to address diverse patient needs, ranging from wound cleaning to advanced cell therapies for chronic wounds.

How did the project begin?
My background is in pharma and cell therapies. The project began when I was working on an enzyme derived from fish waste, which we discovered could help clean dead tissue from wounds. Through conversations with stakeholders, we realised that a significant percentage of wound patients suffer from chronic conditions. This led us to develop cell therapies to address this pressing issue.

Who are your customers?
Healiva operates as a B2B business, working primarily with hospitals, clinics, and insurance companies to ensure that these treatments are reimbursable. Partnerships will be critical for scaling and delivering these therapies to patients.

What have you achieved so far, and what are your next milestones?
Of our four products, two are still in the early stages of development, but we have already filed the relative patent applications. We also have one later-stage product, Epidex, which is nearing market launch. We’ve completed all manufacturing-related work, and the next step is securing approval from Swissmedic, the Swiss agency for therapeutic products. Future steps will depend on market traction, and we are actively preparing for different scenarios.

How did you become an entrepreneur?
I completed my PhD in neuroscience. The programme was in collaboration with Novartis, which led me into the pharma industry early in my career. Later, I transitioned to commercial roles, focusing on business development for smaller pharma companies. This was my first step towards entrepreneurship and what led me to start Healiva together with my co-founder.

3 quick questions to wrap it up:

• What are the most important qualities for any entrepreneur? – Passion, patience and being a good communicator.
• What motivates you? – The chance to improve patients’ lives.
• What is the hardest part of being an entrepreneur for you? – The constant pressure to meet milestones and secure funding.