Rivia, a Zurich-based startup focused on AI-driven analytics and clinical trial data infrastructure for BioTech companies, has announced a €13 million ($15 million) Series A round. The funding will accelerate team growth, scale its agentic product development, and expand its presence internationally, particularly in the US.
The round was led by Earlybird, with participation from Defiant and existing investors Speedinvest, Amino Collective, and Nina Capital.
Erik Scalfaro, CEO and co-founder of Rivia, explained, “Two years ago, we chose a deliberate path: build the foundational data engine first before layering on AI agents. Today, this sequence gives us a structural advantage. BioTechs are running global trials on Rivia and seeing tangible results—from preventing costly issues to identifying which patients benefit most. With every trial, our ontology library grows, making our system increasingly powerful. Our goal is to scale clinical trials through AI-driven workflows, not incremental human effort.”
Founded in 2022 by Scalfaro and Tiago Kieliger, Rivia operates on the belief that new drugs can reach the market more efficiently and at a fraction of today’s capital.
The company points out that regulatory scrutiny is increasing, with recent FDA guidance emphasizing proactive risk management and compliance in clinical trials, while also supporting innovation in trial design, execution, and technology.
Meanwhile, the economics of drug development remain challenging. Industry returns have dropped from 11% a decade ago to about 3% today, while the number of successful therapies remains low. Operational complexity, however, continues to rise. Data volume in clinical trials has grown more than 400% over the last ten years, yet many biotech and pharma operators still rely on fragmented spreadsheets and outdated systems. Thousands of human hours are spent on repetitive tasks like validation, reconciliation, and monitoring—work that is largely deterministic but still done manually.
Rivia claims to have anticipated the shift toward AI-driven operations. Over the past three years, the company developed what it calls the first reusable intelligence layer for clinical trials. Its data engine integrates thousands of heterogeneous data files in real-time, applies trial-specific scientific logic using a proprietary library of reusable configurations, and delivers harmonized data into operational workflows, enabling proactive decision-making.
Building on this foundation, Rivia is rolling out a suite of embedded AI agents. Its first agent, Spark, converts natural language into publication-quality clinical visualizations instantly. Next-generation agents will support proactive data quality monitoring, enabling early detection of deviations, intelligent prioritization, and structured, auditable actions.
The startup aims to reduce clinical trial costs by up to 50% by replacing manual efforts with scalable agentic systems.
“Clinical trials are among healthcare’s most complex and expensive workflows, yet much infrastructure remains fragmented and manual. Rivia has built a true intelligence layer for clinical operations, unifying data and embedding agents into high-impact workflows. This approach could fundamentally improve trial execution, lowering costs while increasing speed and data integrity,” said Christian Nagel, Partner and co-founder at Earlybird.
Over the past two years, European and US-based BioTech companies using Rivia’s platform for global trials have seen measurable impacts, from gaining early insights into therapeutic potential to completing trials more efficiently. The company reported fourfold ARR growth in 2025 and currently supports 40 clinical trials worldwide. Rivia previously raised a €3 million Seed round led by Speedinvest in 2024. Looking ahead, the company plans to expand its platform and embedded intelligence to accelerate the launch of innovative therapies.
