How Pharvaris Strengthened Remote Team Connections Through YuMuuv
Pharvaris is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company developing treatments for a rare disease called HAE. Its workforce is distributed across three continents, working remotely and connected through talent, not office locations.
When Ceri Denny, the company’s Internal Communications Lead, joined in March, one of her goals was clear: strengthen connection across teams and countries.
“We’re a small, remote company,” says Denny. “We wanted something that would have an impact and that could run itself — something light, fun, and easy to join.”
A colleague suggested running a step challenge, having seen success with one elsewhere. The team began searching for a simple wellness platform to bring the idea to life — and found YuMuuv.
The First Company-Wide Step Challenge
Though Pharvaris holds an annual company-wide activity challenge to mark HAE Awareness Day, as well as regular team events throughout the year, this was their first-ever global Step Challenge.
YuMuuv’s setup proved intuitive and light on admin effort — perfect for a small HR team managing global logistics.
The challenge encouraged teams from different countries to form new groups and interact in fresh ways. For a distributed organization, this was a valuable kind of connection, giving people the opportunity to connect with colleagues that they may not otherwise interact with.
Why the Chat Function Stole the Show
While the leaderboard created healthy competition, the YuMuuv chat became the challenge’s heartbeat. Employees posted photos from their walks, shared views from their hometowns, and encouraged teammates across borders.
“Everyone loved the chat,” says Denny. “Seeing photos from people’s hometowns and countries, it was really special.
Participation and Results
For a first step challenge, engagement exceeded expectations.
- 70+ participants out of roughly 120 employees (plus contractors)
- Cross-office activity in Europe and North America
- Lasting ripple effect — even non-participants took part informally
Even those who didn’t join the challenge directly still followed along, joining spontaneous “office walks” or cheering on their peers.
Recognition and Rewards
Pharvaris combined fun with appreciation, awarding prizes for the overall winner, the top team, and a token gift for everyone who participated.
“It was important that everyone got something,” says Denny. “It made people feel included.”
Lessons and Feedback
Employee feedback was overwhelmingly positive — especially about the chat feature and ease of use.
Still, Pharvaris saw opportunities for small improvements:
- An integrated activity converter, so employees don’t need an external link.
- Optional team randomization to help mix departments and regions.
- Stricter end-of-challenge lockout, to close data entry precisely at midnight.
“The customer service was excellent,” adds Denny. “Caitlyn replied almost instantly every time we had a question.”
What’s Next
Given its success, Pharvaris plans to continue wellness and engagement initiatives with YuMuuv — potentially adding exercise minutes or mindfulness-based activities to make participation even more inclusive.
“It achieved exactly what we wanted: engagement and connection across the world,” says Denny. “We’re already looking forward to doing it again.”
