Our Team


With successful backgrounds in business, finance, medicine and science, our founders and managerial team are leading the way in the development of delirium risk prediction and diagnosis. Our international team has a unique combination of skills and professional experience from the medical, neuroscience, clinical research, biostatistics, artificial intelligence (AI) and business management sectors. We work closely with key opinion leaders and we are always striving to establish new improve delirium prognosis, diagnosis and prevention through informed research into deep-tech and AI solutions.  

John Klepper

CO-FOUNDER 
& Chief Executive Officer 

Serial entrepreneur, 16 years founding and growing technology-based companies. Several board mandates. Experienced in lean startup, operational management, structuring, strategic planning, raising capital. 1 successful exit and 3 ventures in various stages of growth.

Nayeli Schmutz, Med. Pract.

CO-FOUNDER 
& Chief Medical Officer 

Medical degree from Lausanne medical University, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine Specialist (FMH), Specialist in Diving and Hyperbaric oxygen Medicine (SUHMS) and Emergency Medicine (SGNOR). Over 14 years of medical practice.

Benjamin Dodsworth, PhD

CO-FOUNDER 
& Chief Technical/ Scientific Officer

​​Keen and entrepreneurial life scientist. Passionate about brain health. DPhil from Oxford in cell biology. I2I Fellow at Oxford Universities Saïd Business School. Winner of EIT Health PhD Transition Fellowship. Experience in big Pharma (Roche & Pfizer) and biotech (R-Biopharm).

Mary-Anne Kedda, PhD

Head of Research & Medical/ Grant Writer

PhD in Human Molecular Genetics.Master in Public Health (MPH).Highly experienced Clinical Research Scientist, Lecturer and Clinical Operations Manager.

Fabian Gautschi

Head of Product

Master of Science, MSc. in Information Systems from University of Zurich, years of experience from Accenture Digital Health in combining technology & data, medicine, and business to bring to market novel digital health offerings for improved patient outcomes

Beatriz F. Cuadrado, PhD

Head of Sales

Sales and business development professional. PhD in Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Goethe University of Frankfurt. Experience in pharma and biotech (Roche & 3Brain). Skilled in strategic planning, market research, and fostering strong relationships.

Christophe Loeffler

Chief Financial Officer

​Master of Arts, HSG. SME Coach and Advisor at Dept. of Economics (AWA-ZH). Board member of UCON AG, CHFL AG and Kuokoa AG. Researcher in big-data & company valuations. Lecturer in accounting, economics and law.

Jessica Uhlig

Executive Assistant

Higher economic diploma VSK, Baccalaureate diploma in economics;  Office clerk (finance & accounting). Proficiency in organization, Marketing/ Sales and business management; Highly experienced in the finance area; Private Equity and consulting such as KPMG.

Michela Venturini

Data & AI Scientist

MSc in Data Science for Healthcare from University of Trieste, currently pursuing a PhD at KU Leuven; focusing on Interpretable Machine Learning for Healthcare. Bsc in Bionformatics. Extensive experience with medical data. Skilled in designing & developing machine learning models that support clinical decision-making and enhance healthcare outcomes.

Victoria Engler

Content Creator
Product Management

Graduate student at the University of Zurich with a BA in Anglistics.

Agatha

Chief Cuddling Officer

Cuddling assistant - 5 years of cuddling experience. Supports the Chief Cuddling Officer in reducing employee stress, boosting office morale, promoting productivity, improving communication, and making the workplace  appear more attractive.

Zoe

Chief Cuddling Officer - Advisor

Cuddling expert - 12 years of cuddling experience. Helps reduce employee stress, boost office morale, promote productivity, improve communication, encourage a healthier lifestyle, makes the workplace  appear more attractive.

Renier Behrens

Senior Software Developer

Bachelor of Science, BSc, in Informatics with specialisation in Information Systems. Experienced data analyst and integration specialist.
Robotic Process Automation enthusiast with exposure to various platforms.

Our Advisors


Our Advisors come from across the globe and are key opinion leaders in medicine – including delirium, Anaesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine, Internal Medicine, Intensive Care Medicine – medical ethics, business, supercomputing, healthcare and life sciences.  

Robert Stevens, M.D.

Chief Innovation Advisor

Intensive care physician, critical surgical, neurological illnesses& injuries. Specialised in traumatic brain injury, stroke, encephalopathy. Associate Prof., Director of Precision Medicine & Chief of the Division of Informatics, Integration & Innovation, Associate Director of the Johns Hopkins Precision Medicine Center in Neurocritical Care.

A/Prof. Dr. Lis Evered

Medical Advisor & KOL

​Lisbeth Evered is the Scientific Head of Research in the Department of Anaesthesia, St. Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. Lisbeth is a founding member of the Centre for Anaesthesia and Cognitive Function at St. Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. In 2011 she founded and continues to Chair the Perioperative Cognition Professional Interest Area (PIA) of the Alzheimer’s Association (US) International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART).

José R. Maldonado,
M.D., FACLP, FACFE

Medical Advisor & KOL

John & Terry Levin Family Professor of Medicine,  Professor of Psychiatry and, by courtesy, of Internal Medicine, Surgery, Emergency Medicine & Law Chief, Division of Med. Psychiatry, Med. Director, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry & Psychosomatic Medicine Chief, Emergency Psychiatry Service & Disaster Psychiatry Chief, Critical Care Psychiatry Service

Prof. Dr. med. Luzius Steiner

Medical Advisor & KOL

Luzius Steiner is Chief Physician and Head of Anesthesia at the University Hospital Basel. Luzius has led several clinical studies focusing on causes and prevention of memory disorders/confusional states in elderly patients after surgery or in the ICU. His research makes him an important authority in the field of postoperative delirium and postoperative cognitive dysfunction.

Dr. med. Rebecca von Haken

Medical Advisor & KOL

Rebecca von Haken is an anesthesiologist and the head of the German Delirium Network (Deutsches Delir Netzwerk) and is setting up a new intermediate care unit at the Universitätsklinikum Mannheim. She has contributed to numerous scientific and news articles about postoperative delirium. Articles in e.g. the popular German newspaper DIE WELT have increased awareness of the problem.

Dr. med. Henry Perschak

Medical Advisor​

Henry Perschak is the former Head of Internal Medicine and the International Medical Center at the Klinik Hirslanden in Zurich. Currently he runs a practice for Internal Medicine and Personalized Health. He has a keen personal interest in improving patient care and follow-up. Passionate about brain health, Henry helps PIPRA to fit into the existing clinical pathways.

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Our Board Members

​Dr. Robert H. Bider, PhD

External Expert in the Field

​30 years of experience in the healthcare industry. PhD in Technical Sciences and a Master in Industrial Management from Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich. Founder of Klinik Hirslanden AG (formerly Hirslanden Holding Group) and served as CEO from 1990-2008. Served as VP of the Board at Klinik Hirslanden AG and a Director since June 2001. Formerly: CEO of Medi-Clinic -Switzerland AG. Co-Founder of Rhino Partners. Board Member of Hirslanden Investments SA since 2003 and Grand Hotels Bad Ragaz AG since 2005. Director of MEDIAN Kliniken GmbH since 2010.

​Dr. Peter Pfister, PhD

Representing the Investors

Completed his doctoral studies in economics at the University of Basel, obtaining his Dr. Rer. Pol in 1983, he started out his career in marketing before switching to the financial sector and finally directing several divisions of Kraft Foods in Zürich, Chicago and Paris. After completing different mandates as a CFO resp. as a CEO for various companies in the San Francisco area, he has since July 2001 been active as an independent Private Equity Investor and Business Angel. Moreover, he is not only on the board of CTI Invest but also a board member resp. chairman of the board for several Swiss companies. In 2009 he was awarded «Swiss Business Angel of the Year 2009» by SECA.

John Klepper

​Representing the Founders

​Serial entrepreneur, 16 years founding and growing technology-based companies. Several board mandates. Experienced in lean startup, operational management, structuring, strategic planning, raising capital. 1 successful exit and 3 ventures in various stages of growth.​

Our core values

Our solution supports clinicians with objective stratification of pre-surgical patients into risk groups. Knowing which patients are at risk of postoperative complications can help reduce the incidence dramatically, improving patient outcomes and reducing costs to hospitals, insurers, patients and society at large

COLLABORATION & TEAMWORK

Be clear about who you are, what you want and what you need from others. Be willing to apologize for mistakes and forgive those who make errors. Communicate clearly and in a timely matter using collaborative tools. Be willing to find and discuss obstacles with an open mind. Create team experiences to engage in learning, foster growth and be creative.

Face obstacles and overcome challenges with a positive attitude.

PASSION

Passion for work enhances the desire to pursue excellence: When you do your work with passion, then you surely wish to do it with full precision. You excel in it as surely you do not desire another person to beat you in the work that is of your interest.

CREATING MEASURABLE IMPACT

  1. Improve the patient experience of care.
  2. Improve the health of populations.
  3. Reduce the per capita cost of healthcare.
  4. Reduce clinician and staff burnout.

MUTUAL RESPECT

Be a role model for respect.

Get to know one another. Learn about your differences. Promote good manners. Let people work differently. Maintain boundaries. Do not talk negatively about your workplace, company, management, or coworkers.

LISTEN & LEARN

Listen to others with an open mind and a kind heart, and seek knowledge from those both above and below you.

Show that you care. Engage yourself. Be empathetic. Don't judge others. Don't interrupt - active listening.

PASSION

Make progress and be productive at work. Show passion for what you do by expanding your knowledge and expertise. Make an effort to invest in yourself with ways to spur personal growth. Try to solve problems rather than create them. Become informed and educated about your competition. Try to stay abreast of industry trends so that you can see if your team is meeting the consumers’ wants and needs at the current time.

CARING & SUPPORTIVE

Help your colleagues at work to maintain a stable workplace.

Offer help. Get Personal. Provide recognition. Do something nice.

OWNERSHIP

Understand your jobs purpose in your life and future career. Anticipate problems and develope solutions, ask for clarification on deadlines or tasks and work ahead to minimize stress or confusion during busy workdays. Express your ideas during team meetings or projects. Be honest about what you want to achieve in your job role. Understand yourself, including your strengths, weaknesses, learning style and personality traits. Always think about how your current actions and behaviors will influence your coworkers, employer and future career goals.

ETHICAL

Respect for patient autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice.

The four pillars of medical ethics are:

  1. Beneficence (doing good)
  2. Non-maleficence (to do no harm)
  3. Autonomy (giving the patient the freedom to choose freely, where they are able)
  4. Justice (ensuring fairness)

HUMILITY

PIPRA proposes a new tool that allows rapid determination of an individual patients risk to develop postoperative delirium after an operation.

Collaboration & Teamwork
We trust and respect one another. We work together, learn together and achieve great things together.
Caring & Supportive
We are kind and caring to each other and to everyone we meet.
Passion
We love what we do, and we truly believe in why we are doing it.
Creating Measurable Impact
We know our products will make a positive difference to patients and their families.
Ownership
We believe in taking the initiative and delivering work that we are proud of.
Listen & Learn
We listen to – and value – each other’s thoughts, ideas and feedback.
Ethical
We respect the principles of medical ethics and always act withintegrity.
Honesty
We believe honesty creates a positive atmosphere.

Our Awards

Our Memberships

Our Supporting Partners