Gabrielle Browne – Marketing Director at Alpha Vet Technology.
Lives in Australia.
Gabrielle Browne travels to Neuchâtel every 6 to 8 weeks to monitor Alpha Vet Tech’s new product, Wireless Zoo, which was developed in collaboration with regional innovation partners.
Can you tell me more about your company?
Alpha Vet Tech is a veterinary medical technology company dedicated to improving the quality of animal health worldwide. We have developed a product, Wireless Zoo, which was launched in London in November 2019 at the London Vet Show. It is designed for the veterinary industry and, more broadly, the animal health market. This device monitors key vital signs such as oxygen saturation, heart rate, and temperature. These readings are displayed on a dedicated platform. This innovation represents a true paradigm shift for the veterinary industry. Currently, the only way for professionals to monitor animals is when the animal is sedated or too ill to move.
What are the canton's key areas of expertise for your product?
We collaborate with and are based at Cloos Electronic. We partnered with Cloos because they have the expertise needed to develop and miniaturize the electronics. For our part, we have the capabilities to develop a robust cloud-based data platform. Their expertise in sensors and cloud development is crucial for the current and future development of the device and the platform. We wanted to build a device specifically for pets rather than use existing human-oriented technologies. From the initial engagement, starting from scratch, the process with Cloos took about 18 months.
The other collaboration we undertook focused on the design, which was carried out with the company Multiple Global Design. The Canton of Neuchâtel facilitated the connection. Multiple was very open to working with us throughout the entire process, from design all the way through to manufacturing. Together, we were very innovative, as neither Multiple nor Cloos had ever worked with animal technology before. It was a very valuable learning experience for both them and us.
How did you discover Neuchâtel?
I didn’t know much about Switzerland before this collaboration. I knew the country had fabulous cheeses, chocolate, skiing, and luxury goods like watches. We met a representative from the Greater Geneva Bern Area at a medical technology conference in San Diego. He was certain we could find what we were looking for in the canton of Neuchâtel. It took us a year to finally organize this trip. We were impressed by the canton’s industrialization capabilities. All the technologies we planned to develop had already been conceptualized at CSEM and other companies around Neuchâtel. The canton of Neuchâtel gave us the opportunity to develop the commercial product much more quickly: two years instead of ten years in Australia.
Neuchâtel is a very forward-thinking canton. Switzerland has strict policies regarding animal welfare, which align with our company’s values. Furthermore, in Switzerland, we are welcomed as members of the family, which is very important to us.