Vitavo, formerly VaxApp, all began with a phone call on April 4th, 2020. COVID-19 was rapidly spreading across the globe. Our founder Luke was sitting on a couch in quarantine, having just returned home from 5 years in Europe, when he received a call from his mum, Jan.

Jan has been an immunisation nurse in Australian Public Health Services for over 30 years. This means Luke had been constantly jabbed with every vaccine she could get her hands on, and heard about every challenge immunisation teams face, just by asking how her day was.

On the call, Jan explained the challenges they faced with social distancing at their community sessions and the need to shift from a walk-in model to a booking system. Luke recognised that there had been little change in immunisation delivery in the last 30 years, and knew a booking system would only solve a small part of the problem immunisers faced. It quickly became clear to him that harnessing the latest technology, could not only improve patient access and uptake of vaccinations, but also create significant improvements to administrative and clinical workflows.

Luke was fueled by concern for frontline nurses, especially his mum who was at risk of getting COVID by just turning up to work each day. Drawing on his technology and operational design background, Luke spent the next 72hrs sitting on a couch in quarantine designing what would become our first four products; community, school, workplace and pharmacy. Within a month, a start-up team was established and development was underway; the mission was to improve access and uptake of vaccinations.



Since that very first phone call, Vitavo has not just become a valuable technical solution for immunisation providers and families across Australia but has evolved to become so much more. We are a team driven by the desire to improve access to and uptake of all types of health services. There is so much more to come, watch this space...

Vitavo would not exist without Luke's nan, June - affectionately known as Shorty.

Shorty, who passed away in February 2020, left a lasting impression on everyone she met, remembered for her warmth and positivity. To honor her legacy, The Shorty Foundation will be established, dedicated to making a meaningful impact through preventative healthcare and education.

The foundation will focus on improving access to immunisation for underserved communities in Australia and around the world. Additionally, it will offer educational scholarships and placements to support and strengthen the healthcare workforce within the healthcare industry.

Set to launch in 2026, the foundation’s initiatives will be funded through Vitavo products, ensuring Shorty’s legacy of care and compassion lives on.