When the development division shut down, the core team 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 medical industry -- for precise and highly complex parts. It exports those throughout the entire world. "But there are not many companies that are well experienced in medical software development and more specifically in navigation systems for the medical area. And that is our focus, since we have over 10 years of experience in this field", Jan Stifter emphasizes. It is precisely here that he sees the opportunity for his young company, Medivation AG.
As a software engineer at an Aarau medical technology provider, Jan Stifter was involved in medical navigation systems for orthopedics. When in 2009 the company decided to discontinue development of its navigation system, software maintenance and ongoing support was still needed to ensure safe and continuous operation. And this was simultaneously the birth of the Medivation Company which today ensures smooth system support and provides software maintenance and general help for this particular system.
Technopark start
Since 1 January 2010 Medivation AG is located in the Technopark in Windisch. "We are giving support for the approximately 180 devices worldwide," Stifter explains and then mentions new development projects. A new and innovative system in the field of orthopedic trauma surgery is used for drilling bones, for example after a fracture. Thanks to this system, precise drillings are possible without the use of X-rays. Other examples are a highly complex web-based database for medical systems or an application for mobile devices. Furthermore, Medivation produces at the Windisch location small quantities of parts used in surgical robots. "In order to produce these parts and for high demanding software development projects, an ISO certification was a strategic first milestone, which we could achieve after only 4 months of operation due to our core expertise and long-term know how," Jan Stifter mentions proudly.
Fast-growing market
"We are not necessarily focused on the orthopedic market," he explains. "Since we are focused on technology and not on the marketplace we are open to new areas and also follow up on own ideas and opportunies we see. We are well connected with leading universities and scientific groups and constantly evaluate new technologies for their applicability in the medical field." Due to new clients and projects, Medivation was able to hire already more employees and is steadily growing on a healthy base.
Spirit of innovation
Medivation AG chose the Technopark as its home because, in Stifter's words: "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 two founders are from here and two from the Canton of Solothurn. Together, we were stationed at the Aarau development site. Since we are active in the medical technology industry in Europe and abroad, the proximity of the two airports is ideal. In our view, Medivation is well positioned."
