What FreshBlood does

FreshBlood is a Romanian non-governmental organization founded in 2016 and headquartered in Cluj-Napoca that functions as a community orchestrator and startup-support entity for the health innovation ecosystem in Romania and adjacent Central/Eastern European markets. Its core activities comprise community-building events (Morning Health Talks, HealthTech Next Generation), structured startup programs (Hubvantage, EIT Jumpstarter), cross-border partnerships (HealthChain I3, DIGIT-PRE), and clinical-academic engagement, including a long-running collaboration with the Babes-Bolyai University HIVE incubator and Medisprof Cancer Center. The organization does not build proprietary technology products; rather, it convenes stakeholders across universities, hospitals, startups, and corporate partners such as Bayer, IQVIA, and Activize.

The organization operates under the EIT Health Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) Hub designation for Romania, which is its primary institutional anchor. Through this status, FreshBlood channels European grant funding, EIT Health curriculum, and pan-European partner access into local programming. Its business model is grant-funded rather than commercial: revenue mechanics rely on EU grant instruments (RIS Hub, EIT Jumpstarter, DIGIT-PRE, HealthChain I3), partner in-kind contributions, and event sponsorship rather than product sales, licensing, or fees from participants. Go-to-market is community-led — credibility is established through convening power, mentorship outcomes, and network density rather than through sales motion or paid distribution.

Customer segmentation is institutional rather than transactional. The "served" stakeholders are healthtech startups (early-stage founders seeking mentorship and exposure), clinicians and university researchers (talent and validation pipeline), students (workforce development), and corporate partners (deal flow and brand association). Pricing mechanics are not applicable because participation is grant-subsidized. The organization's strategic significance derives from its role as the principal local convener in a still-developing Romanian healthtech ecosystem, with growing cross-border linkages into Poland, Hungary, and other RIS Hub geographies.

Name

FreshBlood

Legal name

FreshBlood

Website

https://freshblood.ro

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FreshBlood is a Cluj-Napoca-based Romanian NGO that orchestrates the local health innovation ecosystem through mentorship programs, community events, and startup support, operating as Romania's EIT Health RIS Hub with EU-grant-funded programming for healthtech founders, clinicians, and students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Innovation Ecosystem Support

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health Promotion, Prevention & Community Health Programs (BPAIAJAC), Health Systems Strengthening & Primary Care Development (HLAJAKAJ), Health Promotion & Public Health Education (Community Workshops) (EDAAAFAG)

Keywords

• Health innovation ecosystem
• Healthcare startup support
• Innovation community building
• EIT Health network
• Startup mentorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Cluj-napoca

HQ country

Romania

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant and EU Funding: FreshBlood operates primarily as a non-profit NGO supported by European Union funding through programs such as EIT Health RIS Hub, EIT Jumpstarter, DIGIT-PRE, and HealthChain I3. These grants fund the organization's core programs and operational activities.
2. Partnership and Collaboration Revenue: The organization generates value through partnerships with universities, healthcare providers, IT companies, and public authorities by co-developing and co-implementing innovation programs, hackathons, and startup support initiatives, which may include co-funding arrangements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FreshBlood is a non-governmental organization that supports health innovation by connecting health-tech innovators with necessary resources, providing feedback and mentoring, and orchestrating the regional health innovation ecosystem in Romania and Eastern Europe. It operates as the official EIT Health Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) Hub and runs structured programs including Hubvantage (personalized startup support), EIT Jumpstarter (accelerator), DIGIT-PRE, HealthChain I3, and Brigada de sănătate, in addition to community events such as Morning Health Talks and HealthTech Next Generation. Programs are delivered free of charge to participants, funded primarily through European Union grants and strategic partnerships.

Product overview

FreshBlood is a non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on healthcare innovation support, not a technology product company. Rather than offering software products, FreshBlood operates as a community platform and support organization that connects health innovators with resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities. The organization runs various programs including EIT RIS Hub (Regional Innovation Scheme Hub for EIT Health), Hubvantage (personalized support program for HealthTech startup founders), DIGIT-PRE (digital solutions support programme), HealthChain I3 (EU-funded digital transformation project), EIT Jumpstarter (accelerator for project teams and students), Health Tech Map (newsletter covering healthtech startups), eHEALTH Connect (international curriculum initiative), and Brigada de sănătate (Health Brigade community). These are support programs and initiatives rather than software products or services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hubvantage

Quantifiable outcome

• 7 relevant innovation events organized by HIVE (FreshBlood's key academic partner) over 4 years, including hackathons on telemedicine, e-mental health, emergency medicine, and EIT Health Innovation Days.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• EIT HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFreshBlood is an official EIT Health RIS (Regional Innovation Scheme) Hub. EIT Health is a network of ~150 health innovation partners supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). FreshBlood connects regional innovators from moderate-innovator countries (Romania, Poland, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, and others) with the broader EIT Health network. The partnership covers co-organizing EIT Health Innovation Days, EIT Jumpstarter, and Morning Health Talks across Europe.
• HIVE — Center for Health Innovation (Babeș-Bolyai University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHIVE (Babeș-Bolyai University) and FreshBlood collaborate on hackathons, innovation events, and the Hubvantage Healthtech Hub. HIVE manages the local ecosystem and academia interactions while FreshBlood opens doors to the international ecosystem and startup network. Together they developed Hubvantage as the first virtual (then physical) HealthTech Hub for startup founders from Romania, Moldova, and Eastern Europe.
• Medisprof Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFreshBlood partnered with Medisprof Cancer Center as part of the EU-funded HealthChain I3 project. The AITRIS challenge seeks an Automated Imagery Tool for diagnostic and Stadiation purposes, with Medisprof defining the hospital-side challenge requirements.
• ActivizecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActivize and FreshBlood co-produce the HealthTech Map newsletter, which aggregates healthtech startup news, venture fund updates, events, and articles of interest for the Romanian and regional ecosystem.
• Wolfpack DigitalsupportingTechnology or IntegrationWolfpack Digital collaborated on the e-Mental Health Hackathon 2021 as a private sector partner, bringing technical expertise to multidisciplinary student teams working on mental health innovation challenges.
• Telios CaresupportingTechnology or IntegrationTelios Care partnered on the Telemedicine Hackathon 2021, providing domain expertise and facilitating multidisciplinary teams to tackle telemedicine problems. Telios Care is also listed as a startup partner on the partners page.
• ClujStartupssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerClujStartups is a local startup ecosystem organization in Cluj-Napoca. Listed as a partner on the FreshBlood partners page, likely collaborating on community events and regional startup promotion.
• Spherik AcceleratorsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerRomanian hardware/healthtech accelerator based in Cluj-Napoca. Listed as a partner on the FreshBlood partners page, collaborating on startup support and ecosystem activities.
• Babeș-Bolyai University (UBB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUBB Cluj is a key university partner, primarily through the HIVE Center for Health Innovation housed at the university. UBB students and researchers participate in FreshBlood-organized hackathons, innovation days, and EIT Health programs.
• ECHAlliance (European Connected Health Alliance)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerEuropean Connected Health Alliance is a multi-stakeholder ecosystem facilitation organization. FreshBlood partners with ECHAlliance to connect the Romanian health innovation ecosystem with broader European health communities.
• LinnifysupportingTechnology or IntegrationLinnify is a Cluj-based software development company that collaborated on the Romanian HealthTech Startups Overview Report and likely provides technical mentorship to startups in the ecosystem.
• University of Medicine Lodz (Poland)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with FreshBlood on the SCI-FI training program, which trains scientists from Horizon Europe countries in skills for pharma and medtech industries.
• Primăria Cluj-Napoca (Cluj-Napoca City Hall)supportingOthersThe Cluj-Napoca city hall is listed as a public authority partner, providing regional governmental support and collaboration on public health innovation initiatives.
• ADR Nord-Vest (Nord-West Regional Development Agency)supportingOthersRomanian regional development agency covering the Nord-Vest region of Romania. Listed as a public authority partner supporting FreshBlood's regional innovation activities.
• ADR Nord-Est (Nord-East Regional Development Agency)supportingOthersRomanian regional development agency covering the Nord-Est region of Romania. Listed as a public authority partner supporting FreshBlood's regional ecosystem activities.
• HealthTech Startups (Ecosystem Portfolio)supportingOthersFreshBlood lists 16 healthtech startups as partners on its website, including Lumen, Telios, Tully, Docviser, Doctor31, HeroDoc, Noa Dent, Guardian Angel, RehabX VR, and others. These startups participate in FreshBlood events and benefit from the community network.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Impact Hub: Global innovation network with hubs across Central and Eastern Europe. Comparable as an ecosystem-orchestrator running community programs, events, and founder support for impact-oriented entrepreneurs including health verticals.
• Techstars: Global accelerator network with healthcare-specific programs (e.g., Techstars Healthcare). Comparable as an accelerator providing structured mentorship, investor access, and community-building for early-stage health startups.
• ECHAlliance (European Connected Health Alliance): Multi-stakeholder ecosystem facilitation organization that FreshBlood partners with. Comparable as a pan-European health-innovation connector linking regional communities with broader European health stakeholders.
• Startupbootcamp: Global accelerator network operating vertical-specific programs including digital health. Comparable as an ecosystem player delivering cohort-based mentorship, partner access, and demo-day pathways for health-tech founders.
• EIT Health InnoStars: The parent network of which FreshBlood is a regional Hub. InnoStars covers half of Europe (including Poland, Hungary, Italy, Portugal) and the RIS scheme; comparable as the umbrella orchestrator for moderate-innovator health innovation ecosystems.

Direct peers

• Matter (Chicago): U.S.-based health innovation hub providing curated community, mentorship, and corporate partner access for health-tech entrepreneurs. Comparable as a sector-specific community orchestrator with similar mission and operating model.
• ClujStartups: Local Cluj-Napoca startup community organization listed as a FreshBlood partner. Comparable as a regional ecosystem-builder running events and connecting founders with resources in the same geographic market.
• Spherik Accelerator: Cluj-Napoca-based accelerator listed as a FreshBlood partner. Comparable as a regional Romanian startup accelerator with overlapping health-tech focus and shared startup pipeline.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/freshbloodro
• Facebookfacebook.com/freshblood.ro
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freshblood

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 FreshBlood