Zhiva

What Zhiva does

Zhiva, j. s. a. is a Slovak digital health startup founded in 2021 and headquartered in Martin, Slovakia, that operates a portfolio of health-coaching and patient-education programs targeting chronic disease management and post-COVID recovery. Its core offerings include the Zhiva mobile application for long COVID patients (launched June 2021 and distributed free through Union and Dôvera health insurers), the Zhivi virtual health trainer (a structured-data liver steatosis risk assessment tool), the Active.me program for seniors with hypertension and pre-diabetes, the Recept zdravia green prescriptions model adapted from New Zealand for Slovak patients, a CME-accredited PASC education program for Czech and Slovak clinicians, and the Covidpedia long COVID encyclopedia. The technology stack combines an AI health coach (Airis) with human health coaches and peer coaches operating across online and community-based delivery, supported by mobile app, web content, and in-person sessions.

The company's go-to-market relies on partnerships with public and quasi-public stakeholders rather than direct consumer monetization. Distribution is anchored by Union and Dôvera health insurance partnerships, community delivery via the Association of Towns and Municipalities of Slovakia (ZMOS), and clinician education accredited by the Slovak (SLK) and Czech (ČLK) Medical Chambers, with content distribution also reaching international audiences through Erasmus+ and collaborations with Mount Sinai Hospital-affiliated partner STASIS. Revenue mechanics are dominated by non-dilutive public funding (Norway Grants, Slovak state budget, SIEA innovation vouchers), pharmaceutical sponsorship (Pfizer for the PASC education program), and government-sponsored research projects rather than direct subscription revenue. Pricing for end users is largely free; community health coaches are compensated at approximately 10 EUR/hour gross, indicating a subsidized labor model.

Name

Zhiva

Legal name

Zhiva, j. s. a.

Website

https://zhiva.sk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Zhiva is a Slovak digital health startup founded in 2021 that delivers AI-assisted and human-led health coaching programs for chronic disease management, metabolic conditions, obesity, and long COVID, serving adults and seniors in Slovakia and the Czech Republic through insurer, municipal, and grant-funded partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Martin

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Health Coaching Services: Individual and group health coaching programs delivered both offline and online under experienced professionals, peer coaches, and AI coach Airis. Programs target metabolic diseases, chronic conditions, and behavioral change.
2. Mobile Application: Zhiva app was offered free to insured clients of Union and Dôvera. Insurance companies likely funded the app deployment as part of patient support programs.
3. Healthcare Provider Training: Free online education for Czech and Slovak healthcare workers on post-covid syndrome (PASC) with CME credits from Slovak Medical Chamber (SLK) and Czech Medical Chamber (ČLK)
4. Research and Preventive Care Consulting: Innovative care model development for metabolic syndrome patients, green prescriptions program design, and behavioral intervention research. Supported by government innovation vouchers and international grants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Zhiva is a Slovak health technology company founded in 2021 that delivers AI-supported and human-led health coaching programs for chronic disease management. Its offerings span primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention and include the Zhiva mobile application for long COVID rehabilitation, a virtual health trainer (Zhivi), structured coaching programs (Active.me, Recept zdravia/Green Prescriptions, 14týždňov), healthcare-worker PASC education, the Covidpedia educational resource, and AI-driven personalization through the Airis coach.

Product overview

Zhiva is a Slovak health technology startup founded in 2021 that helps people manage chronic diseases through behavioral change coaching. The company offers a portfolio of digital health products and programs including the Zhiva App (mobile application for long COVID recovery), Zhivi Virtual Health Trainer (AI-powered liver health risk assessment), Recept zdravia/Green Prescriptions (health coaching program), Active.me (senior health program for hypertension and weight management), postcovid education programs for healthcare workers, and Covidpedia (long COVID symptom encyclopedia). Services include individual and group health coaching led by professionals, peer coaches, and AI coach Airis. The company works primarily with adults and seniors with metabolic diseases, operating across primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. Zhiva Institute handles research and non-profit projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 14týždňov: Online coaching program for people with obesity within the DIG4HEALTH project
• HealthyU
• Recept zdravia (Green Prescriptions)
• Zhivi – virtuálny tréner zdravia
• Active.me
• Zhiva App
• Covidpedia
• Airis
• Inštitút Zhiva

Products and services

• Zhiva App Mobile application that helps long COVID patients triage symptoms, access prioritized symptom guidance, locate relevant doctors, and follow video rehabilitation exercises for fatigue, breathing difficulties, and anxiety management.
• Zhivi - Virtual Health Trainer (Zhivi - virtuálny tréner zdravia) Conversational virtual health trainer that assesses liver steatosis risk and delivers personalized recommendations for maintaining a healthy liver, based on user-provided age, gender, height, weight, waist circumference, medical history (diabetes, cholesterol, menopause), and lifestyle factors (smoking, physical activity, diet, alcohol).
• Recept zdravia (Green Prescriptions) Health coaching program that helps patients improve lifestyle habits under the guidance of trained health coaches. Adapts the international green-prescription concept for Slovak patients with a holistic focus on behavioral change rather than only physical activity.
• Active.me Program helping seniors aged 60+ reduce high blood pressure and overweight through lifestyle changes. Combines digital and in-person health measurement tools with health-coach-supported behavior change for older adults.
• Postcovidový syndróm - Vzdelávanie zdravotníkov o PASC (PASC Healthcare Worker Education) Online education program offering Czech and Slovak healthcare workers webinars, online courses with expert videos, and patient materials covering post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), with CME credits from the Slovak Medical Chamber (SLK) and Czech Medical Chamber (ČLK).
• 14týždňov (14 Weeks) 14-week online coaching program for people with obesity, designed to support weight management and lifestyle change within the DIG4HEALTH project framework.
• HealthyU Soft-skills training program designed to support healthier cities, delivered as part of an Erasmus+ funded initiative.
• Inovatívny model starostlivosti o pacientov s metabolickým syndrómom (Innovative Care Model for Metabolic Syndrome) Research-driven innovative outpatient care model for patients with metabolic syndrome that combines an integrated patient view, preventive activities, and data-driven personalized care enabled by digitalization, supported by the Slovak Innovation and Energy Agency (SIEA) innovation voucher.
• Inštitút Zhiva (Zhiva Institute) Civic association operating under the Zhiva umbrella that focuses on research activities and non-profit health projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Participants in green prescription programs report 64 more minutes of total physical exercise per week compared to dropouts
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Union Health InsurancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Union health insurance company for distributing Zhiva app to policyholders free of charge as part of post-covid patient support programs.
• Dôvera Health InsurancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Dôvera health insurance company to provide Zhiva app free to their clients; Dôvera also shares information about Zhiva with their doctor network.
• Diagnose.meminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Active.me project for developing digital health tools for seniors with hypertension and pre-diabetes.
• ZMOS (Association of Towns and Municipalities of Slovakia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Active.me project for community-based health coaching delivery to seniors through municipal networks.
• International Development Norway ASminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner in Active.me project providing expertise and support for health intervention program development.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Livi (formerly Livongo): Livongo (now part of Teladoc Health) pioneered payer-reimbursed digital chronic disease management. Comparable to Zhiva as the canonical template for insurance-reimbursed coaching programs that Zhiva aspires to replicate in CEE markets.
• Headspace Health: Headspace Health combines mindfulness app content with coaching and therapy services. Comparable to Zhiva's Airis AI coach and digital wellness content model, though at significantly greater scale and broader geographic reach.
• BetterHelp: BetterHelp is the largest online counseling platform, delivering behavioral health coaching at scale. Comparable to Zhiva's coaching-as-a-service delivery model, though focused exclusively on mental health rather than chronic disease.

Direct peers

• Noom: Noom is a digital health platform focused on behavior-change coaching for weight management and chronic disease prevention. It is directly comparable to Zhiva's Recept zdravia and 14týždňov programs in combining human coaching with AI-driven personalization.
• Omada Health: Omada Health delivers digital behavior-change programs for diabetes, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome, typically reimbursed by insurers and employers. Directly comparable to Zhiva's chronic care coaching model and Active.me senior program in both clinical focus and payer-distribution approach.
• Kaia Health: Kaia Health offers digital therapeutics for chronic pain, COPD, and musculoskeletal conditions via app-based self-management. Comparable to Zhiva's app-based delivery for long COVID rehab (breathing exercises, symptom tracking) and AI-driven personalization.
• Vida Health: Vida Health provides virtual coaching for chronic conditions including diabetes, hypertension, and mental health. Directly comparable to Zhiva in combining human coaches with digital programs targeting the same metabolic and lifestyle-driven disease portfolio.
• DarioHealth: DarioHealth provides a chronic disease management platform combining AI-driven insights with human coaching for diabetes, hypertension, and musculoskeletal conditions. Directly comparable to Zhiva's AI-human hybrid coaching model.
• Sidekick Health: Sidekick Health is a Nordic digital therapeutics company addressing chronic and lifestyle-related conditions via gamified coaching. Comparable to Zhiva in targeting metabolic and chronic disease populations with evidence-based digital coaching, and as a European peer with similar regulatory and payer dynamics.

Regional players

• Welmo: Welmo is a Slovak digital health platform offering online physiotherapy and rehabilitation services. Comparable as a Slovakia-based digital health company targeting chronic conditions with app-based delivery, competing for similar patient and payer relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/longcovidczsvk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zhiva

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Zhiva