CAZENOVIA — The Cazenovia-headquartered company One Health Group, Inc. (OHG) was recently included on Pepperdine Graziadio Business School’s fifth annual “Most Fundable Companies” list.
Competing against more than 4,000 early-stage US companies, OHG was one of 16 start-ups to be included on the list and one of only three to achieve the Platinum designation, the highest recognition attainable.
OHG is a medical innovation company that works at the intersection of animal and human health. It is the developer of “Voyce,” a pet wearable technology intended to transform healthcare for animals, including companion animals, production animals, equines, and service animals.
“Leading with our extensively patented, proven, and unique animal health data acquisition, data analytics diagnostic platform called Voyce, users can know and manage the health and wellbeing of animals in their care — anywhere, at any time,” said OHG Co-founder, President, and Chief Innovation Officer Albert Di Rienzo, a Cazenovia resident.
Di Rienzo explained that Voyce was developed by experienced founders in collaboration with animal health professionals to collect, analyze, and communicate a wide variety of accurate, context-based biomedical health data via a small, safe, noncontact ultra-wideband radar sensor, a mobile app for displaying health status and alerts, and a cloud-based dashboard with predictive analytics that is founded on over a million hours of animal data.
The Most Fundable Companies initiative is aimed at promoting startup business development by providing pathways for startup funding and inspiring entrepreneurial spirit across the nation.
According to a press release announcing the winners, the program was launched as a free resource to help entrepreneurs assess their readiness for private investment. All startups that complete the program’s pre-screen and qualifier surveys receive a customized report with feedback on how to structure and position their business to improve investment opportunities. The Most Fundable Companies list winners receive national exposure and publication.
The companies on the list are based around the US and come from a variety of industries, including healthcare technology, energy, horticulture, and consumer products.
“The Most Fundable Companies represent highly credible business concepts and visionary leaders who are determined to succeed,” said Deborah Crown — dean of the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School and speaker at the Most Fundable Companies event — in the press release. “The expertise of these founders and their ability to meet rigorous qualifications should send a signal to investors that these are companies teed up to generate sales and profits.”
Participants in the initiative are evaluated on several variables, including financial projections, market opportunity, intellectual property, competitive advantage, and management-team expertise. According to the press release, these variables are then used “to generate objective and customized feedback and scoring to improve readiness for funding.”
Di Rienzo founded OHG in July 2017 with Mark Frazer, Jeremey Junnila, Paul Tupin, and Michael Stanfield. Although the company is headquartered in Cazenovia, the team works virtually with personnel in North Carolina, New York, and Virginia.
Di Rienzo submitted an initial application to the Most Fundable Companies program back in February 2022.
On Oct. 13, 2022, he accepted the award at the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School in Malibu, California.
“[Being selected as a Platinum company] means One Health Group is the Most Fundable and has excellent potential for market success, is derisked compared to other possible investments, and has great potential to return significant value to its investors,” Di Rienzo said.
The entrepreneur stated that the company currently has multiple investors and continues to fundraise.
“Our target animal market verticals are in excess of $250 billion and growing,” he said. “Primarily a [business-to-business] company that leverages [software as a service] economics, One Health Group has multiple licensing, exit, and growth opportunities. We’re currently filling our $1.5MM seed round, tranche 3, with $500,000 already committed. This round dovetails into a $10.0MM Series A to complete development, go-to-market, and achieve profitability and self-sustainability.”
According to Di Rienzo, the company’s employees will continue to work virtually until OHG finalizes its Series A investment round, at which time a corporate headquarters will be selected.
To learn more about OHG, visit onehealthgroup.com.
For more information on the 2022 Most Fundable Companies winners, visit bschool.pepperdine.edu/events/most-fundable-companies/2022/.
