Coviu cofounder Silvia Pfeiffer steps down as CEO and away from her telehealth startup

The cofounder of Coviu, Dr Silvia Pfeiffer, has stepped down as CEO after six years and away daily operations in the decade-old telehealth startup.

Pfeiffer revealed her decision on LinkedIn last month, saying her plans “are wide open and I am curious about what challenges the New Year has in store for me”. She will stay on the Coviu board as a non-executive director role.

“Establishing a successful healthcare technology company in Australia is no small feat, and I take immense pride in what Nathan and I have accomplished over the last five years since spinning out of the CSIRO,” she said.

“Pre-consolidation, post-pandemic, Coviu boasted a team of 55 across Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the US. We successfully secured Seed and Series A investments, resulting in a remarkable 10x valuation increase for our initial investors.

“Today, we support over 100,000 clinicians and have touched the lives of more than 10 million patients through our incredible customers—a feat that truly warms my heart.”

Pfeiffer said Coviu has evolved into a thriving entity capable of standing on its own feet without her at the helm and is net profitable, with funds available for growth projects.

Coviu was spun out of the CSIRO’s Data61 arm, initially raising $1 million from CSIRO’s VC fund Main Sequence Ventures, in 2018, as Pfeiffer took the helm, tapping VCs including EVP, Main Sequence and Giant Leap, in late 2020 for $6 million after explosive pandemic growth.

As a founder, major shareholder, and director, I continue to hold Coviu dear to my heart. I am fully dedicated to supporting the business and Nathan during this transition as I scale down from a role that demanded 200% of my attention, care, and energy—not to mention, a fair share of my sleep and health,” she said.

“I’m delighted to pass on a thriving, profitable business with operations in the US and AU, along with ample financial reserves for the new CEO to explore innovative growth strategies.”