Alivion AG Company Profile

Background

Alivion AG, established in 2020 as a spin-off from ETH Zurich, is dedicated to enhancing quality of life through innovative health technologies. The company's mission is to empower individuals to achieve their personal health goals by providing precise, real-time analysis of substances and biomarkers. Alivion's primary focus lies in developing portable monitoring solutions that serve sectors such as health, nutrition, and environmental safety. By measuring breath biomarkers, Alivion enables individuals to adopt healthier lifestyles and gain a deeper understanding of their nutritional needs, thereby improving overall well-being.

Key Strategic Focus

Alivion's strategic focus centers on the development and commercialization of handheld devices that detect biomarkers in breath, facilitating personalized weight management and health monitoring. The company's core objectives include:

• Product Development: Creating user-friendly, portable devices capable of real-time breath analysis.

• Market Penetration: Targeting markets related to obesity, overweight management, fitness, and longevity, which collectively represent a market potential exceeding $70 billion with double-digit growth rates.

• Technological Advancement: Leveraging proprietary technologies such as the Alivion SmartSelect™ platform to ensure high accuracy and selectivity in substance detection.

• Partnerships: Establishing collaborations with healthcare professionals, dieticians, endocrinologists, and fitness experts to integrate Alivion's solutions into personalized health plans.

Financials and Funding

Alivion has successfully secured funding to support its growth and development initiatives:

• Seed Round: In November 2023, Alivion raised CHF 3.8 million, comprising a capital increase and a non-dilutive grant from Innosuisse. This funding is allocated to accelerate the development of the company's breath analysis platform and to conduct patient testing in collaboration with University Hospital Zurich and other partners.

Pipeline Development

Alivion's product pipeline includes:

• Nutrion: A handheld device designed to measure breath acetone—a direct biomarker of fat burn—within two minutes. The device connects to an app that transfers data to the cloud, enabling healthcare professionals to monitor clients' fat-burning rates for personalized weight management. The Nutrion system and Core App were launched in April 2025, with over 30 pre-orders received prior to release.

• Spark M-20: A portable methanol detector capable of directly measuring methanol in alcoholic beverages, disinfectants, and other substances. This device provides on-site results within minutes, ensuring product quality and safety. The Spark M-20 has been sold in over 35 countries without reported quality issues.

Technological Platform and Innovation

Alivion's innovation is underpinned by its proprietary Alivion SmartSelect™ technology, developed over 15 years at ETH Zurich. This platform enables precise, real-time substance analysis through headspace gas chromatography, allowing for the detection of specific molecules among a complex mixture. Key aspects include:

• Proprietary Technologies: The SmartSelect™ platform offers laboratory-level analysis in a portable format, facilitating non-invasive breath analysis for health monitoring.

• Scientific Methods: Utilization of nanotechnology and advanced sensor materials to achieve high selectivity and sensitivity in detecting volatile biomarkers.

• AI-Driven Capabilities: Integration of smart evaluation algorithms to interpret data accurately, providing actionable insights for users and healthcare professionals.

Leadership Team

Alivion's leadership team combines extensive experience in health technology, engineering, and business development:

• Christian Zwicky, CEO: With over 25 years in the HealthTech and MedTech industries, Christian specializes in breath analysis, big data, AI, sales, marketing, and leadership. He drives the creation of innovative lifestyle products in obesity, longevity, and sports.

• Dr. Jan van den Broek, CTO: Jan brings expertise in nanotechnology and engineering, with over seven years in sensor development and scale-up. He earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from ETH Zurich and was awarded the ETH Silver Medal for his outstanding thesis.

• Christoph Heini, COO: Christoph has more than 16 years of industry experience, including leading positions at Stadler Rail in order processing and marketing & sales. He possesses extensive expertise in product and business development as well as sustainability management.

• Nina Mörgeli, Product Engineer: Nina has broad expertise in biomedical engineering and experience at the intersection of electrical engineering and health technologies, gained at hemotune. She earned her master's degree in Biomedical Engineering from ETH Zurich.

• Giorgio Di Loro, Product Engineer: Giorgio has experience in electronics design and development, including hardware, PCB design, firmware, and software. His research background in sensors and measurement instruments bridges the gap between electronics and sensing technologies.

• Ilari Dammert, Business Development: Ilari is a product and innovation expert with over 15 years of experience, focusing on customer-centric value creation. With a Master's in Digital Transformation, he drives successful business outcomes through cross-functional leadership and innovation-driven thinking.

Leadership Changes

In November 2023, Alivion welcomed Dr. René Lenggenhager as a new board member. Dr. Lenggenhager's background in electrical engineering, physics, and sensor technologies, combined with leadership positions at publicly traded companies such as Mettler-Toledo, Bruker BioSpin, and Comet Group, contributes to the ongoing growth of the company.

Competitor Profile

Market Insights and Dynamics

The global market for weight management, fitness, and longevity is substantial, with a market potential exceeding $70 billion and experiencing double-digit growth annually. This growth is driven by increasing awareness of health and wellness, rising obesity rates, and a growing emphasis on preventive healthcare.

Competitor Analysis

Alivion operates in a competitive landscape with several key players:

• Lumen: Offers a handheld device that measures metabolism through breath analysis, providing personalized nutrition recommendations. Lumen targets individuals seeking to optimize their diet and fitness routines.

• Ketonix: Provides breath analyzers for monitoring ketosis, primarily catering to individuals following ketogenic diets for weight loss or medical purposes.

• Levl: Develops devices that measure acetone levels in breath to monitor fat metabolism, aimed at individuals managing weight or following specific dietary plans.

These competitors focus on non-invasive metabolic monitoring through breath analysis, similar to Alivion's approach. However, Alivion differentiates itself through its proprietary SmartSelect™ technology, offering high accuracy and selectivity in substance detection.

Strategic Collaborations and Partnerships

Alivion has established significant collaborations to strengthen its market position and innovation capacity:

• University Hospital Zurich: Partnering to conduct patient testing and clinical trials for the breath analysis platform, ensuring the efficacy and reliability of Alivion's products.

• Gerber Instruments: Signed a distribution agreement for the sales of the Spark M-20/M-30 devices, expanding Alivion's reach in the market.

Operational Insights

Alivion's strategic considerations in relation to major competitors and market position include:

• Technological Differentiation: Leveraging the proprietary SmartSelect™ technology to offer superior accuracy and selectivity in breath analysis, setting Alivion apart from competitors.

• Market Focus: Targeting both B2B and B2B2C segments, including healthcare professionals and end-users in fitness and longevity markets, to maximize market penetration.

• Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring products meet necessary regulatory standards for medical and consumer use, facilitating smoother market entry and adoption.

Strategic Opportunities and Future Directions

Alivion's strategic roadmap includes:

• Product Expansion: Developing additional applications for the SmartSelect™ platform, such as detecting other biomarkers relevant to health and wellness.

• Market Expansion: Entering new geographical markets and establishing partnerships with international distributors to broaden the company's global footprint.

• Technological Innovation: Continuously enhancing the SmartSelect™ technology to improve device performance, user experience, and integration with digital health ecosystems.

• Customer Engagement: Building strong relationships with healthcare professionals and end-users through education, support, and community-building initiatives to drive product adoption and brand loyalty.

Contact Information

For more information about Alivion AG and its products, please visit the official website.

Connect with Alivion on LinkedIn: Alivion LinkedIn Profile.