Colsan

What Colsan does

COLSAN – Associação Beneficente de Coleta de Sangue is a nonprofit charitable civil association headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, that operates blood collection, processing, and distribution across São Paulo state. Founded in August 1959 by Dr. Othon Barcellos together with notable figures including President Juscelino Kubitschek, COLSAN is a recognized pioneer of voluntary non-remunerated blood donation in Brazil. The organization produces approximately 21,500 hemocomponents per month and supplies them on a recurring basis to around 100 public, private, and philanthropic hospitals.

The organization's operations span the full hemotherapy value chain: voluntary donation (whole blood, double red blood cells, platelets via apheresis, bone marrow registration), laboratory testing (immunohematology, serology, molecular biology, cell therapy), quality-controlled production of blood components (red blood cell concentrate, platelet concentrate/apheresis, fresh frozen plasma, cryoprecipitate), and direct supply to hospital clients. COLSAN also operates a network of regional collection posts across São Paulo state (including São Bernardo do Campo, São Caetano do Sul, Jundiaí, Santos, Sorocaba, Ermelino, Vergueiro, Tatuapé, and Campo Limpo), the APP Colsan mobile application for donor appointment scheduling (launched 2020), and the Clube do Doador donor loyalty program. Quality and compliance underpin the operating model: COLSAN holds ISO 9001 certification, ONA Nível 3 Excelência accreditation (the highest tier, held continuously for 16 years across all units), and LGPD data protection compliance.

COLSAN's revenue model is transactional: hospitals pay for hemocomponent supply on a recurring basis (specific pricing not publicly disclosed). Donor acquisition is event-driven and community-based, relying on awareness campaigns (Junho Vermelho), corporate partnerships (99 ride-hailing for transportation subsidies, Adria food brand for incentive and research funding, Arena Neo Química stadium drives with Corinthians), academic collaboration with Escola Paulista de Medicina (Unifesp) for research including COVID-19 plasma therapy, and youth/community partnerships such as Rotaract Sorocaba. As a nonprofit civil entity without institutional equity investors, COLSAN reinvests operating revenues into its mission of community blood supply.

Name

Colsan

Legal name

COLSAN – Associação Beneficente de Coleta de Sangue

Website

https://colsan.org.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

COLSAN is a São Paulo-based nonprofit charitable association, founded in 1959, that collects, tests, and distributes approximately 21,500 hemocomponents per month to around 100 public, private, and philanthropic hospitals across São Paulo state, Brazil.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Blood Banking and Hemotherapy Services

NAICS

Blood and Organ Banks (621991), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215)

akta.pro primary industry

Transfusion Medicine & Immunohematology (Blood Bank) (HLAFAMAG)

Keywords

• Blood collection services
• Hemotherapy services
• Blood bank operations
• Clinical laboratory testing
• Hemocomponent production

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hemocomponent Supply to Hospitals: Supply of blood components to approximately 100 public, private, and philanthropic hospitals in São Paulo state on a recurring basis

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Colsan is a non-profit blood center that collects blood from voluntary donors, processes and laboratory-tests it across specialized units (immunohematology, serology, molecular biology, cell therapy, quality control), and supplies approximately 21,500 hemocomponents per month to about 100 hospitals across São Paulo state. The organization operates donor engagement channels including the APP Colsan mobile application and the Clube do Doador loyalty program.

Product overview

COLSAN – Associação Beneficente de Coleta de Sangue operates as a nonprofit blood collection and hemotherapy organization providing a comprehensive range of services including blood donation collection, laboratory testing (immunohematology, serology, molecular biology), blood component production and processing, and distribution to approximately 100 hospitals in São Paulo state. The organization also offers a mobile application (APP Colsan) for appointment scheduling and maintains a Donor Club loyalty program. Founded in August 1959, COLSAN supports public and private hospitals with blood supply needs and engages in scientific research in hemotherapy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hemocomponent Production and Supply Service End-to-end service covering voluntary donor blood collection, processing, laboratory qualification, and distribution of approximately 21,500 hemocomponents per month to approximately 100 hospitals in São Paulo state (public, private, and philanthropic).
• Specialized Laboratory Testing Services In-house laboratory services spanning immunohematology, serology, molecular biology, cell therapy, and quality control, supporting donor screening, hemocomponent qualification, and specialized cell therapy work for hospital customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supplies approximately 21,500 hemocomponents per month
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• 99 (Táxi 99)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRide-hailing company providing R$30 discounts for transportation to and from blood collection posts in Santos and other cities, supporting donor access to donation facilities
• Adria (M. Dias Branco)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood brand campaign #vocedoaagentedoa donating 500 food products per blood bag collected, plus financial resources for hemotherapy research including Covid-19 plasma treatment research at COLSAN
• Mesa Brasil (Sesc)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFood bank receiving food donations as part of Adria campaign, distributing to underserved communities in São Paulo state
• Escola Paulista de Medicina (Unifesp)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner affiliated with COLSAN; Dr. Manoel Girão serves as vice-president of COLSAN and director of Unifesp; research collaboration in hemotherapy including Covid-19 plasma treatment development
• Arena Neo Química (Corinthians Stadium)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBlood donation campaigns held at the stadium with fan engagement, including events on April 11-12 with over 250 donors and presence of Minister of Health Alexandre Padilha

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• OneBlood: US non-profit blood center serving 350+ hospital partners across the southeastern US. Comparable donor recruitment, component production, and hospital distribution focus.
• Vitalant: US nonprofit blood collector serving 1,000+ hospitals across the US with donor recruitment, collection, and component production. Comparable non-remunerated donation model and B2B hospital supply approach.
• Sanquin Blood Bank: Netherlands national blood service combining non-remunerated donor collection, plasma fractionation, and diagnostic services. Comparable in combining voluntary donation with diagnostic and research activities.
• NHS Blood and Transplant: UK statutory body collecting, testing, and distributing blood components to NHS hospitals. Comparable operating model with collection network, donor mobilization campaigns, and hospital supply contracts.
• American Red Cross Biomedical Services: Largest US blood collector (~6.5M annual donations) operating non-remunerated voluntary donation collection, component production, and hospital distribution. Directly comparable mission and operating model to COLSAN, at far greater scale.
• Hemorrede (Brazilian National SUS Hemotherapy Network): Coordinated public hemotherapy network under Brazil's Ministry of Health linking federal, state, and municipal hemocenters. Operates the broader regulatory and funding context in which COLSAN competes and contracts for hospital supply.

Emerging players

• Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein Blood Bank: Hospital-integrated blood bank in São Paulo performing collection, immunohematology, and transfusion support primarily for Einstein network patients but extending services to external clients. Overlaps with COLSAN on São Paulo geography and component supply.

Regional players

• Hemominas: Minas Gerais state blood bank operating hemotherapy collection, processing, and distribution for the state's public hospital network. Comparable operating model to COLSAN but in a different Brazilian state.
• Hemoce: Ceará state blood center running regional hemocenters with collection, laboratory, and hospital supply services. Comparable to COLSAN in mission and operational structure, but serving the Northeast region instead of São Paulo.

Direct peers

• Fundação Pró-Sangue (Hemocentro de São Paulo): São Paulo state public blood center operating whole-blood collection, component processing, and hospital supply — direct overlap with COLSAN on geography, services (immunohematology, apheresis), and target hospital customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/colsan
• Xx.com/colsan_br
• Facebookfacebook.com/colsanoficial

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Colsan