VoiceMed, a Rome-based digital health company developing voice-based tools for remote monitoring of chronic respiratory conditions, has completed its first funding round, bringing total capital raised to €1 million. The company simultaneously announced a six-month clinical pilot with Parma-based global biopharmaceutical group Chiesi — a pairing that could prove as significant for VoiceMed’s trajectory as the funding itself.
New backers include Invitalia, Italy’s national agency for development and investment, alongside private investors GCM Group, Padda Health, and 28Digital — formerly EIT Digital, part of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.
Turning a smartphone into a respiratory diagnostic tool
Founded in 2020, VoiceMed has been building at the intersection of vocal biomarker science and machine learning, with a specific focus on chronic respiratory conditions that affect millions of patients worldwide but remain persistently underdiagnosed. The company’s platform analyses short breathing and voice recordings made through standard smartphone microphones, applying machine-learning models to extract signals linked to respiratory function — no specialist devices, no clinic visits, no additional hardware required.
The approach is designed for deployment across primary care, hospital-at-home programmes, and remote monitoring schemes, where the ability to flag deterioration early can prevent costly and dangerous emergency admissions.
The fresh capital will be directed primarily at accelerating clinical studies for its home monitoring solution targeting Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) — a condition that is not only the third leading cause of death and disability worldwide, but one that remains chronically underdiagnosed until late stages when intervention options are far more limited.
Arianna Arienzo, co-founder and CEO of VoiceMed, described the milestone as validation of both commercial and social traction: “This funding round is an important milestone because it allows us to truly move forward. The confidence shown by our investors confirms that our traction is solid and our direction is right.”
A pilot with real clinical weight
Alongside the funding, VoiceMed has launched a six-month pilot with Chiesi Group, a research-focused biopharmaceutical company with 31 affiliates, over 7,500 employees, and deep expertise in respiratory therapies. The pilot will specifically explore how vocal biomarkers can support early detection of chronic respiratory diseases including COPD, while also evaluating patient quality-of-life improvements using the Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) metric and measuring potential reductions in emergency department visits.
For a company at VoiceMed’s stage, securing a clinical collaboration with an organisation of Chiesi’s scale and respiratory credibility is a meaningful signal. It brings both scientific rigour to the validation process and a potential commercial pathway that most early-stage digital health startups take years to reach.
Michelle Soriano, Executive Vice President of the Air Franchise at Chiesi Group, underscored the clinical urgency behind the partnership: “COPD is not only one of the most underdiagnosed respiratory conditions — it is also the third leading cause of death and disability worldwide. 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.”
Voice as a vital sign
The broader case for vocal biomarkers as a scalable health monitoring tool is gaining traction across the digital health industry, but VoiceMed’s focus on respiratory conditions gives it a specific and defensible niche. As Arienzo put it: “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.”
With an ageing global population — the elderly population is expected to double by 2050 — and healthcare systems under mounting pressure to shift care away from hospitals and into the home, the timing and positioning of VoiceMed’s platform could not be better calibrated.
Fast facts:
- Total funding: €1M
- Investors: Invitalia, GCM Group, Padda Health, 28Digital
- HQ: Rome, Italy
- Founded: 2020
- Clinical pilot partner: Chiesi Group (Parma)
- Focus: Vocal biomarker AI for COPD and chronic respiratory disease monitoring
