Ema Health Raises €3M for Blood Donation Platform

Ema Health, an innovative startup focused on modernizing Italy's critical blood and plasma donation infrastructure, has successfully closed a €3 million funding round. This significant investment aims to propel the company's mission to digitize and streamline the national transfusion system.

The financing round was spearheaded by 360 Capital through its 360 Digitaly fund. Key participation also came from CDP Venture Capital, investing via its Digital Transition Fund – PNRR, underscoring the strategic importance of this technological advancement for Italy. Additional backing was provided by prominent entities including Angelini Investments, Ciapa Rosso (led by Giorgio Valerio and Alfredo Romano), and Fintech Partners (under the guidance of Giulio Gallazzi, founder of SRI Group). The investment syndicate was further bolstered by contributions from H-FARM, Studio Necchio, and a notable group of private investors and Italian entrepreneurs such as Adolfo Vannucci, Vitaliano Borromeo Arese Borromeo, Sebastiano Cavalieri Ducati, Massimo Protti, Stefano Barrese, Serra Elizabeth Falk, Edoardo Turkheimer, Sandro Berra, Daniele Farè, and Maria Domenica Pellegrini.

Founded in 2023 by the dynamic duo Chiara Schettino and Filippo Toni, Ema Health is at the forefront of digital health innovation. Schettino, an alumna of Università Ca Foscari – H-Farm College, and Toni, recognized as one of the youngest Italian entrepreneurs to secure substantial funding, have built the company around their flagship platform, 'Rosso'. This application simplifies the entire blood or plasma donation process, allowing users to locate the nearest donation center and schedule appointments with just a few taps on their smartphone.

The 'Rosso' platform has already demonstrated considerable traction, engaging tens of thousands of donors across hundreds of collection centers nationwide within its first two years. It has also partnered with numerous leading Italian corporations to promote blood health initiatives among their employees. The platform functions as an integrated digital ecosystem, leveraging Artificial Intelligence to guide donors through every stage of their journey and to assist collection facilities with advanced, non-medical operational planning and management. This focus on efficiency is crucial in a sector that relies heavily on volunteerism and faces demographic challenges, with a significant portion of active donors approaching the age limit for donation.

With operational hubs in Milan and Lucca, Ema Health's team comprises seasoned professionals and emerging talent from top Italian universities. The company plans to expand its workforce significantly in the coming months to support its ambitious growth trajectory. This funding injection will be instrumental in scaling the 'Rosso' platform nationally, aiming to establish it as the definitive technological standard for blood and blood derivative systems, first in Italy and subsequently across Europe.

Co-founders Schettino and Toni expressed their enthusiasm for this new chapter, highlighting the strategic value of their new partners in driving substantial growth. They emphasized the platform's role in accelerating national reach and building a technological benchmark for the blood donation sector. Toni specifically noted the platform's potential to attract younger donors and accelerate the digitalization of transfusion centers, addressing a key generational challenge in maintaining sufficient blood supplies. The Italian transfusion system, reliant on voluntary and unpaid donations, saw 1.67 million active donors contributing to 3 million donations in 2024, a figure that requires continuous replenishment through innovative engagement strategies.