It was a cold, crisp day on a snow-covered Swiss mountain. Peter Ohnemus was hiking uphill on skis, the chill in the air and the crunch of snow underfoot sharpening his thoughts. As he paused to catch his breath, he began wondering how we can measure the positive impact of exercise on his health.
That moment of curiosity and clarity would eventually lead to the birth of dacadoo, the Swiss HealthTech company now celebrating 15 years at the forefront of digital health engagement.
Founded with the mission of helping people understand and improve their wellbeing in real time, dacadoo has grown from a bold idea on a mountainside to a global platform influencing millions of lives, with Peter at the helm as its President and CEO.
A blank canvas
“Everything was a white paper. We created everything from scratch,” recalls COO Manuel Heuer. In the early days, digital health was still in its infancy.
The team took bold risks, building a complete Digital Health Engagement Platform even before securing their first client; a leap of faith that paid off when a major UK healthcare operator signed on.
A pivotal moment came when Apple endorsed dacadoo, validating the company’s pioneering approach.
Partnerships with global insurers, retailers, and banks soon followed, demonstrating that digital health engagement could transform both individual wellbeing and business outcomes.
Showing resiliency
The journey was far from smooth. There were moments when the future hung by a thread—like the time a major deal fell through with only a week of cash remaining.
“That was a few sleepless nights,” Peter recalls. What carried the team through was a culture of transparency, humour, and openness. “At dacadoo, you can make fun of yourself and still be heard,” he says.
An eye to the future
For Peter and Manuel, the next 15 years promise even bigger change. Only three percent of healthcare data is currently used, leaving enormous potential to predict and prevent disease.
From supporting patients after obesity treatments to engaging those with chronic illnesses, dacadoo aims to help people live longer, healthier, and more independent lives.
“Healthy aging and quality of life are what matter most,” Peter emphasises. “If you live 20 years longer but spend them in a wheelchair, that’s not success. The longer we can help people stay independent, the better.”
From the first prototype built on a shoestring budget to collaborations with some of the world’s largest insurers and health organisations, dacadoo’s story has always been collective. It’s shaped by the curiosity, creativity, and courage of its people.
As Peter puts it with a smile, “We count on you for the next 15 years.”
Read the full blog from dacadoo here.
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