VoiceMed, a Rome-based digital health company developing voice-based solutions for remote monitoring of chronic respiratory issues, today announced that it has reached €1 million in total funding, completing its first funding round.
The company has secured new public funding support from Invitalia, Italy’s national agency for development and investment, and private investments from GCM Group, Padda Health, and 28Digital (formerly EIT Digital, part of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology).
“This funding round is an important milestone for VoiceMed because it allows us to truly move forward. It shows that the economic value of our work is clear, and that the social impact we aim to generate is understood and shared. While investment is only one step on a much longer journey, the confidence shown by our investors confirms that our traction is solid and our direction is right. Seeing others believe in what we are building fuels our motivation and passion, and gives us even more energy to push toward clinical validation and real-world adoption, so we can empower everyone, everywhere, to better manage their health,” said Arianna Arienzo, co-founder and CEO at VoiceMed.
Founded in 2020, VoiceMed develops innovative technologies that utilise vocal biomarkers and AI to support the screening and monitoring of patients with chronic respiratory conditions outside hospital settings. According to the company, by analysing vocal biomarkers, it aims to support earlier insights into patient health, enabling more proactive and data-driven care models.
VoiceMed analyses short breathing and voice recordings to surface risk signals by using the patient’s smartphone. Its software processes breathing sounds and vocalisations recorded via standard smartphone microphones and applies machine-learning models to derive metrics linked to respiratory function.
VoiceMed notes that the platform is fully digital, device-free, and is designed for rapid deployment across primary care, hospital-at-home, and remote programmes.
The fresh funding will be used by VoiceMed to accelerate clinical studies for its home monitoring solutions for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), with a strong focus on validating their use in real-world settings, as well as to support initial market entry activities.
Alongside the funding, VoiceMed, together with Parma-based research-focused biopharmaceutical company Chiesi Group, has also announced the launch of a six-month pilot focused on early detection of chronic respiratory diseases, including COPD.
“With the global elderly population expected to double by 2050, healthcare systems face increasing pressure. Early detection of chronic respiratory diseases is essential to enable timely intervention, reduce hospital admissions, and improve patient outcomes. This pilot will explore how voice-based biomarkers can support these goals in an accessible and scalable way,” the company mentioned in the press release.
“Voice is an accessible signal in lung health. By running entirely on smartphones, VoiceMed technology removes the need for extra devices, in-clinic testing, or in-person visits,” said Arienzo of VoiceMed.
The pilot combines Chiesi’s expertise in respiratory therapies with VoiceMed’s smartphone-based vocal biomarker platform, which analyses breathing sounds and vocalisations to identify risk signals. VoiceMed notes that by leveraging widely-available devices, the technology is intended to make screening and monitoring more accessible for patients and streamlined for providers.
The project will also evaluate improvements in patients’ quality of life using the Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) metric and assess potential reductions in emergency department visits.
Michelle Soriano, Executive Vice President, Air Franchise, Chiesi Group, said, “COPD is not only one of the most underdiagnosed respiratory conditions; it is also the third leading cause of death and disability worldwide, placing a growing burden on patients, families, and healthcare systems.
“Through this collaboration, we aim to advance digital innovation to enable earlier detection and proactive, personalised management—helping to prevent exacerbations, keep patients stable at home, and improve quality of life in a more sustainable way.”
Chiesi has 31 affiliates worldwide and counts more than 7,500 employees. The Group’s research and development centre in Parma works alongside 6 other important R&D hubs in France, the US, Canada, China, the UK, and Sweden.
