Sonio – a French medtech specializing in pregnant people and children’s health – recently announced it had finalized a series A round of funding of $14 million following the initial commitment of the EIC Fund (European Innovation Council) last December. This funding round was led by Cross Border Impact Ventures, a North American impact fund dedicated to the health of women and children, and the Elaia funds, French Tech Seed managed on behalf of the State by Bpifrance in the framework of France 2030, OneRagtime, and business angels very active in the health field, including Dominique Gaillard (former president of France Invest), Alain Decombe (Dechert) and Yann Fleureau (founder of Cardiologs).
With a mission of improving access to quality pregnancy monitoring for all, Sonio will use this funding to continue improving its SaaS solution, initiate its commercial development in the United States, and adapt its technology for using portable ultrasound scanners.
The company has developed the first agnostic and interoperable SaaS to automate ultrasound reporting while providing image quality control and detecting potential anomalies using AI. And Sonio will continue to enrich its artificial intelligence for image recognition to extend the number of automatically recognized images, to be able to check their quality, and to help detect anomalies, and will integrate data into its multimodal platform imaging and genomics.
The company has always had the ambition to offer quality care to all pregnant people and all children, including in the poorest regions, mainly affected by maternal mortality. And of the 287,000 women who died in such circumstances in 2020, 70% were recorded in sub-Saharan Africa. Sonio’s technology, made available to manufacturers of portable ultrasound scanners, will enable healthcare personnel to carry out ultrasounds worldwide to high and verified quality standards. Plus, Sonio has identified the mission of meeting these new equipment manufacturers’ specific needs to equip new non-expert practitioners in developed countries (emergency physicians, general practitioners/midwives in medical deserts) and in developing countries.
KEY QUOTES:
“Sonio has created an innovative platform that empowers fetal ultrasound technology, enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of fetal medicine specialists. Additionally, it aims to bridge the increasing shortage of specialized healthcare workers worldwide. We take pride in leading this significant round of financing, as it contributes to the early growth of this venture.”
— Annie Thériault, Managing Partner at Cross-Border Impact Ventures
“This lifting is a pivotal step in the development of Sonio. By supporting our technological and commercial growth, it makes it possible to achieve our mission. I am fortunate to be surrounded by a team of deeply committed experts, and I would like to thank them. Our board of directors is today in the image of Sonio, inscribed in the diversity of men and women, international, and in search of a model of both impact and growth. In a financing universe largely dominated by men, I am delighted to have found partners so aligned with our ambitions and who understood and valued Sonio’s mission as well as its strategy and rapid execution capacity.”
— Cécile Brosset, CEO and co-founder of Sonio
