Research staff spending more time on what matters so new treatments can get to patients faster
Be the next-generation solution for study data interconnectivity
We believe that trust is earned: our team is focused on ensuring that all we do is delivered to stringent industry protocols and the highest service standards.
Quality and data security are in our DNA and are what sets our people apart.
Our success is rooted in powerful collaborations, forged with world-renowned research sites and global pharma.
Internally and externally, our culture of inclusion and respect means we are always guided by insights, expertise and clearly defined needs.
Having successfully scaled 3 digital healthcare companies through positive transactions, Zach was brought in by the founders to accelerate IgniteData’s growth with sites and pharma partners. His focus will be on operationalizing the company, commercial team, and product for general availability and growth across the industry.
As a founder Dan led the work shaping IgniteData's value prop, commercial model and scale-up strategy. In the role of President, this focus will redouble as we further reinforce Archer's position as the market-leading global eSource-to-Sponsor solution.
Dr. Jose Galvez joined the FDA in 2019 as Deputy Director of the Office of Strategic Programs (OSP) at CDER. He earned his MD and completed a pathology residency and informatics fellowship at UC Davis, where he also received a BS in Biochemistry.
Focused on transforming clinical research through practical, scalable technology strategies, his work emphasizes measurable outcomes beyond pilot programs. With deep experience in Healthcare IT and operations, he has led the digitization of clinical trials, advanced decentralized trial models, and strengthened interoperability, analytics, and eSource adoption to streamline workflows, expand participation, and deliver patient-centric results.
Laura Hilty is a healthcare tech leader who thrives on building what’s next. With nearly 20 years in EHR and clinical trial platforms, she’s led strategy, product, and partnerships from startup to scale—launching six products, guiding six acquisitions, supporting two exits, and driving innovation through M&A and collaboration.
IgniteData founders Dan Hydes and Richard Yeatman meet and work together as business and commercial consultants at a leading NHS Foundation Trust. Their work in the NHS leads them to see firsthand the data system silos and inefficiencies involved in running clinical trials at large research-active hospitals.
IgniteData is formed with the aim of helping to deliver efficiencies in modern clinical trials through the automated transfer of data between systems. The technology isn’t quite ready to create the scalable, system-agnostic tool that Dan and Richard envisage, so they park the idea and continue building IgniteData’s expertise in supporting clinical trial delivery.
IgniteData successfully delivers numerous clinical trial data projects, including in patient recruitment, feasibility and real-world studies. All the while the team are continuing to build and expand their expertise in clinical trials and reaffirming their vision for a tool that will help change things for the better.
Advances in the technologies used in EHR systems finally mean the time is right to start building the tool Dan and Richard envisage. A grant from Innovate UK helps build a prototype, and Archer – the Virtual Research Assistant – is born. It is designed to be the world’s first truly agnostic tool to safely automate the transfer of clinical data from EHR to EDC.
The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic makes Archer – which allows for less in-person visits to clinical trial sites – even more relevant. The team win three further grants, in all being awarded over £1 million in government funding to develop Archer.
Archer is shortlisted in a vendor selection process run by the EHR2EDC Consortium (led by AstraZeneca, Janssen and Sanofi) and, ultimately, comes out at the top. This kick-starts a partnership with AstraZeneca to pilot the use of Archer in a hospital setting.
IgniteData announces a multimillion dollar investment and partnership with global professional services firm ZS, to turbocharge the transformation of patient data automation in clinical trials with Archer.
Through ZS’s worldwide life sciences presence, the partnership will open up the benefits of Archer to health systems and sponsors on a global scale.
In a pivotal moment for the modernisation of clinical trials, Archer is put into action in an oncology trial. In collaboration with AstraZeneca and University College London Hospitals (UCLH), the pilot automates the transfer of data between UCLH’s Epic EHR and AstraZeneca’s Medidata Rave EDC.
IgniteData announces a new collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) – providing a data transfer integration between the EHR at MSK and the electronic systems of two major clinical trial sponsors, with additional sponsors and trials.
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH), IgniteData and AstraZeneca evaluate how Archer EHR-to-EDC transfer technology performs in a clinical trial setting. The live pilot shows that Archer can map 100% of Vital Signs and Labs data, and successfully transfer 100% of mapped data from those domains to the study databse.
Zach Taft becomes CEO of IgniteData. Brought in by the founders, his firm focus is on accelerating IgniteData’s growth with sites and pharma partners. Co-founder Dan Hydes becomes President, redoubling his work on shaping the company’s value prop, commercial model and scale-up strategy. Fellow co-founder Richard Yeatman transitions from the role of CTO to become COO. Steve Tolle takes the reigns as CPTO (Chief Product and Technology Officer), bringing with him a wealth of leadership experience.
This release announced IgniteData’s Series A funding round, led by FCA with participation from returning investors. It highlighted the company’s expanding Archer platform, strengthened commercial traction, and growing global site network. The message reinforced IgniteData’s position as a leader in EHR-to-EDC automation and data accuracy for clinical trials.
Key takeaway: Validated IgniteData’s financial health and market scalability.
IgniteData announced the appointment of Dr. David Rhew, Global Chief Medical Officer of Microsoft, to its Board of Directors. The release underscored IgniteData’s growing focus on AI innovation, strategic global partnerships, and thought leadership in clinical data automation.
Key takeaway: Brought world-class AI expertise and credibility through Microsoft’s partnership.
IgniteData was accepted into Microsoft’s Pegasus Program, a prestigious initiative supporting top healthcare innovators leveraging AI and cloud technologies. The press release focused on the technical validation of IgniteData’s Archer platform within the Microsoft ecosystem.
Key takeaway: Cemented IgniteData’s role as a Microsoft innovation partner and AI thought leader.
