Empethy

About Empethy

Empethy, founded in August 2021 by Annamaria Barbaro and Lorenza Silvestri, is an Italian digital platform designed to address the social challenge of stray animals. The company was born from the founders' personal experiences; Barbaro as an adopter and Silvestri as a volunteer, who identified difficulties in the pet adoption process. Barbaro left a career in investment banking at Barclays in London to pursue this entrepreneurial path, aiming to innovate in a sector with limited digitalization. Silvestri has a background in psychology and has held various marketing and research roles. Together, they were recognized in Forbes Italy's 30 Under 30 for their social impact.

The firm operates as Italy's first digital platform connecting animal shelters and voluntary associations with individuals looking to adopt cats and dogs. Empethy provides a centralized and structured search engine where associations can create detailed and visually engaging profiles for animals, facilitating a better match with potential adopters' lifestyles and needs. This approach aims to promote conscious adoptions and reduce the number of animals that are returned or abandoned. By January 2022, the platform had facilitated 150 adoptions and partnered with over 300 associations across Italy. By mid-2025, these numbers had grown to over 3,000 adoptions and 750 partner shelters.

Empethy's business model has evolved from a direct-to-consumer marketplace to a B2B2C strategy. The company collaborates with corporations through a 'Corporate Pet Responsibility' program, which encourages businesses to support the cause of stray animals as part of their social responsibility initiatives. This creates a circular model that connects companies, shelters, and adopters. While the platform is free for both adopters and associations, this B2B2C evolution represents a key part of its long-term strategy to ensure sustainable impact.