Let's meet Christian Harwanegg, CEO of MADx
February 4, 2026|TA
Driven by relentless focus on innovation and excellence, MADx aims to become the globally trusted gold standard in allergy diagnostics
Watch: Christian Harwanegg tells the story of how MADx has grown and expanded into international markets
Video by Vienna Business Agency, Melchers Media
Do you check every food label for nuts? Are you gripped by sneeze attacks in the presence of pets? Or perhaps, come spring, your nose runs and your eyes itch non-stop.
Allergies affect around 20-30% of the global population and can range from benign skin reactions to life-threatening anaphylaxis. Allergic diseases are widespread and contribute to a lower quality of life for so many, yet diagnosing them is complicated and time-consuming. The skin prick test, familiar to many allergy sufferers, is not only uncomfortable, but its results may not be accurate. Diagnosing an allergy in this way is often a bit of a stab in the dark - pun intended. Other allergy diagnosis methods are costly, time and resource intensive, and come with the risk of severe adverse reactions.
A new age of allergy diagnosis
Enter MADx - a Vienna-based company founded in 2016, specialising in allergy and food intolerance diagnostics. With just a small blood sample, MADx's tests can screen for up to 300 allergens at once, providing doctors with a comprehensive overview of a patient’s allergy profile right from the start. This saves time, avoids guesswork, and helps clinicians make better-informed treatment decisions.
“Driven by relentless focus on innovation and excellence, we want to become the globally trusted gold standard in allergy diagnostics.”
Christian Harwanegg, CEO of MADx
What makes the technology unique is its molecular approach. Their flagship product, the ALEX test, includes both allergen extracts and molecular allergens. The two are not contradictory, but complement each other to provide a clearer and more comprehensive sensitization profile. By analysing the molecular details, doctors can distinguish between true allergies and look-alike cross-reactions, better assess the risk of severe allergic reactions, tailor immunotherapy more precisely, and give more accurate dietary recommendations.
Allergies are amongst the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide, but a staggering 50% of patients do not receive a proper diagnosis or effective treatment. MADx's goal is to facilitate better diagnosis and treatment decisions, thereby significantly reducing the burden on modern healthcare systems.
From startup to global market leader
Christian has spent his whole professional life developing and commercialising allergy test concepts. He has gone from working at a startup to heading a global market-leading company, and then, upon founding MADx, back to a startup.
“True innovation and disruptive change require commitment, focus and risk taking. That does not happen easily in an almost monopolistic market structure, so I decided to do it myself.”
Over the last nine years, MADx has moved from a garage-based startup in an unknown corner of Vienna to a globally recognized brand and strong player in the industry, operating in over 60 countries.
MADx for every allergy diagnosis need
MADx produces solutions for the whole allergy diagnostic process. Their three tests are ALEX, the multiplex allergy test; FOX, for food intolerances; and PAX, the veterinary allergy test for cats, dogs, and horses. They also manufacture processing systems for different lab throughputs, as well as provide software – the RAPTOR Server for results management and RAVEN for interpretation guidance.
And there’s more. The MADx Academy is their e-learning platform: a service for physicians to extend their knowledge in the field of allergy diagnostics. A Patient Portal completes the offer as a service for both physicians and patients alike. Through the portal, physicians can provide lifestyle and/or dietary recommendations to their patients, tailored to the individual sensitisation profile. MADx thus strives to cover the entire value chain from test to material to evaluation.
Born, studied, stayed: Vienna is home for Christian, and MADx
For Christian, Vienna can be summed up in one word: home. He was born here, studied here, and chose to remain here to live and work because it's safe, family-friendly and uniquely strong in life sciences. When it comes to offers for life sciences companies and researchers, the city punches above its weight. It combines top science (the Medical University of Vienna’s immunology/allergology clusters come to mind, as does the Vienna BioCenter), skilled talent, central European access, and an active life-sciences ecosystem.
Christian financed MADx with national and European grants, a business angel, as well as strong focus on rapid market entry and kick-starting the company from their early-stage revenues. Infrastructure incubators helped a lot in the early phase of building up his company, too.
The local restaurants and bars, where Christian enjoys meeting and mixing with local and international Viennese residents, are just a short subway ride away from his office and production facility in the 23rd district. What Christian appreciates most about life here is the ease with which he can go from the great outdoors to a great community.
“Only in Vienna can I find peace and solitude in nature just a short ride away by public transport, and, on the very same day, immerse myself in the vibrant cultural and social life of a true metropolis.”
About Christian Harwanegg
Before founding the MADx, Christian had already spent two decades in research and practice in the field of experimental allergy test development. From 2010 to 2015, he headed the Austrian branch of the global market leader in allergy diagnostics and is considered one of the world's leading experts in this field. MADx was founded in 2016 and soon secured a 7-figure angel investment from entrepreneur and industry expert Christian Sascha Dennstedt. From 2015 to 2017, the company received multiple fundings and financing, including AWS Pre-Seed funding. In March 2020, the company moved into its current home in the 23rd district, with more than 1,100 m² of state-of-the-art laboratory and office space.
Services of the Vienna Business Agency
Funded through the programme Business Location Initiative
Business Location Initiative