It was my own personal experience that first had me researching therapeutic alternatives to surgery after my dog Rocko suffered a serious ACL injury.
Having recently lost a pet to a deadly cocktail of medications to treat pain, inflammation and seizures, I became determined to find a solution that would alleviate Rocko’s pain and speed his healing – naturally.
With a background in medical devices and personal care products I knew that that light therapy would be a great treatment alternative as photobiomodulation based devices had rightfully secured their place in assisting healthcare providers to treat chronic pain and wound healing.
After much exploration I found a handful of Low Level Light Therapy devices available for in-home use, but the designs were cumbersome, and in a few cases impractical.
These instruments simply did not provide the best form factor to deliver treatment to a moving pet. They also lacked essential features and settings like treatment modes, wavelength, power efficiency, portability and data insight. After testing these devices on Rocko, I knew I could build an affordable therapeutic device that was easy to use, with the right form factor and features. I immediately went to work. I spoke with hundreds of pet parents and pet care providers, and within 3 months I was holding the first prototype — PetThera was born.
What about Rocko? He’s doing fantastic! After 3 months of daily treatments, and now ongoing care of 3 treatments a week his range of motion is remarkably better, and his pain is well managed. Rocko’s a happy healthy pooch who can be found enjoying a stroll in a nearby Seattle park or beach.
Kristine Marzolf - Founder & CEO, Illumiheal, Makers of PetThera
Illumiheal, Makers of PetThera
Illumiheal is a Seattle-based technology company focused on product innovation in the pet health and wellness space. As an industry innovator we are committed to developing healing technologies that help pets live longer, happier and healthier lives.
Management Team
Our experience in medical technology, consumer electronics and data analytics has helped us to build a company devoted to improving the lives of pets through meaningful healing technologies.
Kristine Marzolf
Founder & CEO
Experience: Business & Product Development, Sales, Marketing, Brand
Companies: Philips (Sonicare & HeartStart), Joylux, JeNu, Revel Body, Vulcan, Microsoft, Agilent Technologies
Dwayne Bobbitt
VP Supply Chain
Experience: Production, Manufacturing, Operations, Logistics
Companies: Philips (Sonicare), Clarisonic, L’Oréal, Joylux
Anna Gunn
Controller & Operations
Experience: Finance, Operations, Business Optimization, HR
Companies: Joylux, Pushspring, Browsium, EveryMove
Advisory Team
Michael Hamblin
Advisor: Technology Photobiomodulation, Photochemistry & Photobiology
Experience: Associate Professor Harvard & Associate Professor Massachusetts General Hospital
Companies: Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital, Wellman Center for PhotoMedicine
Rob Neal
Advisor: Sales & Business Development
Experience: Professional Sales, Business Development & Acquisition
Companies: Philips, Clarisonic, JeNu BioSciences, Glo Science Professional
Alan Leong
Advisor: Business
Experience: Professor Entrepreneurship, Managing Partner, CEO & Research Analyst
Companies: UW Foster School of Business, Immusoft, Spiral Genetics, Biowatch, Biotech Stock Research & Dragon Curve Ventures
Don Cohen
Advisor: Veterinary Affairs & Infection Control
Experience: Professor Columbia University, Practice Management, Chief Compliance Officer, Emergency Medicine, Infection Control
Companies: Henry Schein Veterinary, Henry Schein Dental, Health Compliance Team, Columbia University