Sonio, a Paris-based startup, is on a mission to use technology to improve outcomes for expectant parents. The new business has received €10 million from the EIC as it prepares to rapidly expand its market.
The funding was obtained through the Europan Innovation Council Accelerator and consists of a grant of €2.5 million and an equity investment of €7.5 million. This round of funding follows a €5 million raise this summer supported by Elaia, OneRagtime, and Bpi France.
One of the most significant innovations is possibly in the field of healthcare. Many startups in this field nowadays are developing concepts that significantly improve people’s lives by utilizing technology. Women’s health and family planning, two fields that have historically had inadequate funding and underrepresentation, are one area in which we are witnessing positive improvements.
Underfunding for women’s health has significant effects on how pregnant individuals are treated and cared for, which affects both the expecting mother and her unborn child.
Sonio, a Paris-based company, has a goal to improve pregnancy care by giving medical practitioners better tools. The firm has now obtained further funding as it quickly penetrates new areas.
Sonio’s CEO and Co-Founder, Cécile Brosset, said that receiving such a sizable investment from one of the world’s most competitive accelerators is proof of the company’s innovative approach to fetal medicine. Our efforts have paid off. I am now more certain than ever that collective intelligence and artificial intelligence can assist safeguard prenatal care around the world.
Sonio uses a comprehensive fusion of knowledge and skills to improve medical results. Sonio was founded in 2020 by a team of entrepreneurs, scientists, and medical, and tech experts. In August 2022, we spoke with the founder, Cécile Brosset, to learn more about it and to understand her vision for using AI to improve healthcare.
The Sonio team uses special knowledge in prenatal medicine, artificial intelligence, software development, and imaging to improve medical outcomes comprehensively. Although the company was just recently founded, it builds on five years of research and development (R&D) and clinical development at the Necker Hospital in Paris, the PRAIRIE Institute, and Ecole Polytechnique.
Sonio seeks to change the fact that 50% of congenital abnormalities go undetected until after birth. A game-changer for the industry, it offers a special AI program that gives prenatal care practitioners access to all kinds of medical, imaging, genetic, and environmental data to maximize prenatal screening and diagnosis.
Over 250 healthcare professionals now use the full solution, which is used to support all fetal ultrasound practitioners from novices to the most experienced experts.
Sonio Diagnostics, which was created for expert diagnostic ultrasounds, and Sonio Pro, which debuted in October and is aimed to secure and increase the efficiency of routine pregnancy ultrasounds, are the company’s two currently available products that help achieve this.
The Paris-based team has also entered into several collaborations that are fostering growth, including with Samsung France, one of the leading producers of women’s health ultrasounds, as well as with specialized distributors (Lifecell in India, Manager Systems in Brazil, Dynamic Medicals in Nigeria).
With this additional funding, Sonio will now hasten the platform’s rollout of new capabilities like embedded image recognition and genomics. It will also be utilized to increase operations in Europe and India and to gain momentum for market entry into the United States.
Sonio’s chief business officer and co-founder, Dagmar Nuber, says that the company will be able to advance its commercial development in the US and Europe with the help of EIC funding because of its quicker innovation and greater market access. Additionally, we will be able to launch more distribution agreements in nations with limited access to healthcare, which will help us accomplish our aim of enhancing the availability and caliber of treatment for women and children.
Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder Rémi Besson: “For us, this investment translates into more clinical research, more invention, more patent applications in Europe, and ultimately, better patient care no matter where they are. We are keen to expand our research collaborations with some of the top authorities in fetal medicine and AI.
Image Credit: Sonio
