Centre for Digital Health Interventions

What Centre for Digital Health Interventions does

The Centre for Digital Health Interventions (CDHI) is a Swiss academic research center jointly operated by the University of Zurich (UZH), the University of St. Gallen (HSG), and ETH Zurich. Headquartered at the HSG School of Medicine in St. Gallen with research operations at UZH's Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care and ETH Zurich's Department of Management, Technology and Economics, CDHI focuses on designing, evaluating, and implementing digital therapeutics and just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs) for the prevention and management of chronic physical and mental health conditions. The center serves clinicians, academic researchers, university hospitals, healthcare professionals, and end-patients across Switzerland, Singapore, the United States, the Netherlands, China, and South Korea.

CDHI's technology stack is anchored by two platforms. MobileCoach, an open-source software platform maintained since approximately 2015, enables the development of chatbot-based mobile health interventions, ecological momentary assessments, patient-reported outcome measures, and micro-randomized trials; it integrates with Google Fit and Apple HealthKit. PRECIOUS, launched in January 2025 as a UMZH-funded technology initiative running through December 2026, is a cloud-based Design and Trial Service for Precision Digital Therapeutics that substantially extends MobileCoach Cloud with three proprietary innovations: predictive models for states of receptivity, generative AI-supported precision interventions, and non-adherence prediction and prevention. More than 14 named digital therapeutics have been built on these platforms, spanning physical activity (Ally), pediatric asthma (MAX), pandemic lifestyle (Elena+), cancer mindfulness (CanRelax 2), insomnia CBT (Sleep Sensei), type-1 diabetes (SweetGoals), headache management (BalanceUP), and smoking cessation (rauchfreiCoach).

As an academic research center, CDHI does not operate commercial pricing. Revenue is generated primarily through institutional research grants — most notably the multi-year UMZH PRECIOUS award and Swiss National Science Foundation funding — supplemented by tuition from the Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Digital Health: Therapeutics jointly offered by ETH, UZH, and HSG, the annual UMZH Precision Digital Therapeutics Summer School, and keynote-driven continuing education programs. The center has no disclosed external funding rounds, no parent company, no M&A activity, and no ownership stake to private equity; it operates under the governance of the three hosting universities with Prof. Dr. Tobias Kowatsch as Scientific Director and Prof. Dr. Elgar Fleisch as Co-Chair. Distribution is conducted through open-source software release, peer-reviewed publication, and academic research collaboration rather than traditional sales channels.

Name

Centre for Digital Health Interventions

Legal name

Centre for Digital Health Interventions

Website

https://c4dhi.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Centre for Digital Health Interventions is a Swiss academic research center jointly operated by UZH, HSG, and ETH Zurich that develops open-source and cloud-based platforms (MobileCoach, PRECIOUS) for designing and evaluating digital therapeutics and precision health interventions for clinicians, hospitals, and patients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Health Research

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Pediatrics & Adolescent Therapeutics (Digital) (HLACANAL)

Keywords

• Digital health interventions
• Digital therapeutics
• Mobile health platforms
• Behavioral health technology
• Digital biomarkers

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Academic Research Funding: CDHI operates as a multi-university research center (UZH, HSG, ETH Zurich) funded primarily through research grants from University Medicine Zurich (UMZH), Swiss National Science Foundation, and international research funding bodies.
2. Continuing Education Programs: Revenue generation through Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) programs in Digital Health Therapeutics, summer schools, and professional education courses for healthcare professionals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CDHI is a multi-university academic research center that develops open-source and cloud-based digital health platforms (MobileCoach and PRECIOUS) for designing, evaluating, and implementing evidence-based digital therapeutics and behavioral health interventions. It produces chatbot-delivered mobile health apps for chronic disease management, mental health, women's health, and preventive care, and delivers continuing education programs (CAS Digital Health Therapeutics, summer schools) for healthcare professionals.

Product overview

CDHI's offering is a platform-plus-applications architecture anchored by two core platforms: PRECIOUS (a cloud-based Design and Trial Service for Precision Digital Therapeutics, launched Jan 2025) and MobileCoach (an open-source platform for developing evidence-based digital health interventions, used since 2015). PRECIOUS substantially extends MobileCoach Cloud with three innovations: predicting states of receptivity, generative AI-supported precision interventions, and predicting/preventing non-adherence. Over a dozen named DTx applications have been built on these platforms — including Ally (physical activity), MAX (pediatric asthma health literacy), Elena+ (pandemic lifestyle), CanRelax 2 (cancer mindfulness), and Sleep Sensei (CBT for insomnia), among others. GRACE is a hybrid voice-based conversational AI for cognitive stimulation. STELLA and CyMe are emerging voice-first and menstrual health apps. CDHI also offers a CAS in Digital Health: Therapeutics and an annual PDTx Summer School as educational products. Integration with Google Fit and HealthKit is built into the MobileCoach mobile app.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PRECIOUS: A Design and Trial Service for Precision Digital Therapeutics (PDTx) - a cloud-based software tool for clinicians and researchers to design, evaluate, and implement regulatory-compliant precision digital therapeutics.
• MobileCoach

Products and services

• PRECIOUS (Design and Trial Service for Precision Digital Therapeutics) Cloud-based software platform developed by CDHI as a UMZH technology initiative. Enables clinicians and researchers to design, evaluate, and implement regulatory-compliant Precision Digital Therapeutics (PDTx) using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), ecological momentary assessments (EMAs), just-in-time adaptive interventions, and generative AI-driven personalization. Audience: clinicians, researchers, and academic hospitals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14+ digital therapeutics developed using MobileCoach platform across various health conditions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability16 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, regional and minor.

• University Medicine Zurich (UMZH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Primary funding source and consortium lead for PRECIOUS project (January 2025 - December 2026). UMZH technology initiative developing a Design and Trial Service for Precision Digital Therapeutics.
• Pathmate TechnologiescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementation partner for PRECIOUS project. Development partner and successor of MobileCoach infrastructure. Developed Pathmate Cloud platform (predecessor of PRECIOUS).
• ETH ZurichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore university partner hosting CDHI. Contributes Department of Management, Technology and Economics expertise and digital trial infrastructure.
• University of Zurich (UZH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore university partner hosting CDHI. Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care leads research activities.
• University of St. Gallen (HSG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore university partner hosting CDHI. School of Medicine provides institutional support and research collaboration.
• Singapore-ETH CentreregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research partner contributing to digital health interventions research with Jacqueline Mair, PhD as co-applicant.
• Dartmouth College (Center for Technology and Behavioral Health)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner with Prof. Catherine Stanger and Prof. Nicolas Jacobson as co-applicants on digital therapeutics research.
• CSS InsuranceregionalOthersSwiss health insurance company collaborating on digital health intervention studies including Ally physical activity app.
• Swiss University Hospitals ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple Swiss university hospitals (USZ, PUK, Balgrist, Bern) participating as co-applicants in PRECIOUS project for clinical implementation.
• Ministry of Social and Family Development SingaporeregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerSingapore government ministry visited CDHI for research collaboration and digital health knowledge exchange.
• Stanford Byers Centre for BiodesignregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic partner with Prof. Oliver O. Aalami as co-applicant on digital health research.
• Northeastern UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic partner with Prof. Varun Mishra as co-applicant on digital health interventions research.

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Voluntis (Aptar Digital Health): European (French) digital therapeutics company now part of Aptar, offering prescription DTx for oncology, diabetes, and autoimmune conditions. Comparable to CDHI in European footprint, academic-adjacent rigor, and prescription-grade DTx ambition.
• Akili Interactive: Digital therapeutics company that developed FDA-cleared cognitive therapeutics (e.g., EndeavorRx for ADHD). Comparable as both target evidence-based digital interventions for behavioral and cognitive conditions and pursue regulatory clearance pathways.
• Omada Health: US digital therapeutics company specializing in chronic disease prevention and management across diabetes, hypertension, and behavioral health. Comparable to CDHI's evidence-based, multi-condition DTx approach delivered through the MobileCoach platform.
• WellDoc: US-based digital therapeutics company with FDA-cleared BlueStar platform for diabetes and cardiovascular conditions. Comparable to CDHI's diabetes-focused DTx such as SweetGoals and GLOW UP and to its evidence-based approach to chronic disease management.
• Virta Health: US digital therapeutics company for Type-2 diabetes reversal and metabolic health. Comparable to CDHI's diabetes research including GLOW UP and SweetGoals, and to its biomarker-driven, sensor-integrated intervention approach.
• Pathmate Technologies: Swiss digital health company that developed Pathmate Cloud — the predecessor of CDHI's PRECIOUS platform — and serves as CDHI's implementation partner. Directly comparable as both build AI-driven conversational DTx platforms for chronic disease and behavioral health.

Emerging players

• Biofourmis: Digital therapeutics and biomarker analytics company focused on heart failure, oncology, and chronic pain using wearable sensors. Comparable to CDHI's ADAMMA core and BABBI biological age prediction work and to its wearable biomarker pipeline.
• Hinge Health: Digital musculoskeletal care company combining wearable sensor data, AI coaching, and physical therapy. Comparable to CDHI's sensor-driven JITAI architecture (wearable + AI for personalized interventions) across multiple therapeutic areas.
• Pear Therapeutics: Pioneer in prescription digital therapeutics (reSET, reSET-O) for substance use disorder and other conditions; underwent restructuring in 2023. Comparable as a direct DTx competitor that demonstrated both the promise and fragility of pure-play DTx commercialization models.

Broad incumbents

• Noom: Broad digital health and behavior change platform with coaching and DTx-adjacent offerings across weight management, diabetes prevention, and mental health. Comparable to CDHI's coaching/chatbot-based intervention model but at significantly greater commercial scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/c4dhi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Centre for Digital Health Interventions