We’re RIVANNA. We develop and commercialize comprehensive imaging solutions for spinal needle interventions and fracture and soft tissue diagnostics to improve provider precision and patient care. That’s what we do, and in many ways, it’s who we are. But here’s the thing:
Stories of innovation in medical technology are written and told with data, research, iteration, testing, clinical trials, and more data. And make no mistake — that’s as it should be. But behind the scenes work visionary engineers, dedicated healthcare providers, and countless masters of craft across roles, each converting willpower, big ideas, and deep personal convictions into clinically proven solutions that improve health and lives.
The science is sound, the environments are sterile, and the results are measurable. But the stories? They’re entirely organic — living, breathing, and growing — from their first awkward steps, tentative and uncertain, to their breakthrough strides, shaking the foundations of medical science.
At RIVANNA, we’ve always been in tune with the heartbeat behind medical innovation. For us, it’s woven into the fabric of our brand and core values. It stands tall. It stands out. And it stands for who we are.
Turns out, for us, it’s a giraffe. We can explain.
Our values
At RIVANNA, our mission is to elevate global standards of care through the commercialization of world-first imaging-based medical technologies. Our technology platform features advanced 2D/3D ultrasound-based bone and soft tissue imaging with AI-driven anatomical guidance and diagnostics. To achieve solutions that are indispensable in modern medical practice, we innovate. We prioritize precision. And we orient everything we do around patient care. Our pioneering advancements in imaging solutions empower healthcare professionals to make more informed decisions, streamline workflows, and enhance patient safety and outcomes.
To turn this ambitious vision into real, accessible results for clinicians and patients around the world, we’ve united our people and partners with three core values:
Dedication
- Commit to our mission with an exemplary level of effort and sacrifice.
- Pursue a disciplined approach to your work with significant attention to detail.
- Strive for excellence and the best possible effort.
Trust
- Cultivate strong personal relationships with the team.
- Always assume positive intent.
- Earn trust with a great attitude, strong work ethic, and extreme ownership over results.
Humility
- Choose to serve your teammates and the mission above yourself.
- Lead by example, fully owning all your shortcomings and failures.
- Celebrate other people’s ideas and solutions.
These principles guide our every action: hiring decisions, strategic priorities, quality assurance, partnerships — everything we do. And they’ve enabled our people to engineer and optimize technology at the forefront of healthcare, consistently delivering solutions that elevate standards of care and answer once unmet clinical needs worldwide.
Our story
RIVANNA was founded in 2010 by biomedical engineers Will Mauldin and Kevin Owen — two visionaries with a lot of expertise in ultrasound technology and a shared goal: to address the high failure rates associated with epidural and spinal anesthesia placement. In Kevin’s attic, with a toaster oven, makeshift ultrasound transducers, and a deer spine from a recent hunting trip, they built and tested the first Accuro prototype. It worked.
By 2015, RIVANNA had earned FDA clearance to commercialize the Accuro product, which had evolved tremendously since its deer-spine days. This set the stage for rapid growth, marked by strategic alliances, as well as countless institutional awards.
In 2021, RIVANNA launched the second-generation Accuro and True-View training model line. Our ultrasound-based imaging technology continued to deliver outstanding clinical results, enabling us to expand our partnerships and earn multiple NIH (National Institutes of Health) grants and a contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA): a division of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for the design and development of a computer-aided 3D fracture detection and diagnosis product called Accuro® XV*.
As funding grew, so did our global impact. We expanded operations with a new 10,000-square-foot facility, supporting ambitious R&D and manufacturing goals. Last year, we secured funding totaling $30.5 million over 39 months from early execution of an option by BARDA to advance the Accuro XV musculoskeletal imaging system and an NIH grant for emergency medicine applications. This has accelerated the development of our product portfolio, which now includes more than 58 patents and patents pending, addressing a wide range of clinical specialties.
As we mentioned, advancements in medical innovation are unambiguous facts, but there is more to our innovation story. We want you to know where we’ve come from because narratives are powerful — they shape beliefs, drive behaviors, and inspire change. We’re proud to share how we’ve grown, changed, and focused our efforts wisely to thrive in the healthcare ecosystem, enriching it with every milestone. Our story lives, our values breathe, and our strides toward progress are long.
Our giraffe
In all the animal kingdom, you won’t find another creature quite like a giraffe. Evolution has made them entirely unique, impressively tall, and marvelously resilient. Our focus on uncommon spinal anatomy among neuraxial anesthesia patients — for which we designed our Accuro Ultrasound Guidance device — realized within our teams a certain affinity for giraffes. And the more we admired these exquisite mammals, the more lessons we learned from them. Today, those lessons are woven into our culture, and we pass them on to new initiates as we continue to grow.
Here’s what we tell our teams:
- Stand tall. Think, believe, and envision from the highest level. Where you see challenges, adapt and address them by making the most of your resources. You bring a unique set of competencies — use them. Just as the giraffe uses its height to spot opportunities and dangers from afar, use your strengths to anticipate and overcome challenges.
- Stick your neck out. Demonstrate your strengths, embrace opportunities for improvement, and take informed risks. Focus on your and others’ positives; recognize potential rather than only weaknesses. Like a giraffe reaching for the highest leaves, strive to extend beyond your comfort zone to achieve your goals.
- Embrace change. Take an active role in leading our organization to new heights. Evolve enthusiastically: Face new challenges head-on, welcome change, and drive continuous improvement. Giraffes adapt to different environments and conditions, reminding us to stay flexible and resilient in our pursuits.
- Build relationships. Earn trust with an empathetic and values-oriented approach. Outstanding relationships are the outcome of personal integrity: your word, ethic, and example. Giraffes are social animals that form strong bonds within their groups, highlighting the importance of teamwork and collaboration in achieving success.
- Maintain balance. Keep a steady and balanced approach in all your tasks. Just as a giraffe maintains its balance while navigating its tall frame, ensure stability and precision in your work to achieve the best outcomes for our partners and their patients.
- Communicate clearly. Use effective communication to build understanding and trust within the team and with our stakeholders. Giraffes use a variety of sounds and gestures to communicate, reminding us that clear, open communication is key to our success.
Our promise
So now you know: Giraffes are the quiet backbone of our brand identity. To us, they represent a promise we uphold to our partners and their patients — we’ll evolve and take big, bold steps to elevate global standards of care with groundbreaking imaging-based medical technologies. We invite you to join us on this journey, to stand tall and stride long. Together, we can continue to enrich the healthcare ecosystem, one breakthrough at a time.
*This project has been supported in whole or in part with federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services; the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR); and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), under contract number 75A50121C00035. Learn more about BARDA: https://www.medicalcountermeasures.gov.