Fundraising continues to follow for the French startup ecosystem. And recently, it was Sonio, a company based in Paris, which announced a fundraising of 10 million euros, with the accelerator of the European Council of Innovation, whose objective is to support SMEs. with great potential. The fact that this Parisian startup is supported by this accelerator is therefore a positive signal, since Sonio is one of the 78 companies supported by the program, out of 1,092 applications.
Previously, in June 2022, the startup had already raised 5 million euros from Elaia, OneRagtime and Bpi France. And if Sonio is so supported, it is because its technology has the potential to bring about radical changes in the field of health. In essence, he has developed an artificial intelligence that assists prenatal screening.
Detect more anomalies with AI
On its website, the company explains that in developed countries, congenital anomalies affect 1 in 33 births. However, in 50% of cases, these anomalies are not detected during ultrasound. “Practitioners in charge of prenatal screening must follow specific guidelines. Even when they are tired. Even when it’s the 15th ultrasound of the day. Sonio Pro (editor’s note, one of the startup’s products) aims to help them not forget anything, to take risk factors into account. When an anomaly is spotted, the goal of Sonio Pro is to help practitioners characterize it”we read on the Sonio website.
Another product, called Sonio Diagnostic, helps practitioners to detect the signs visible on ultrasound. The objective of the start-up, through its products, is to help detect the 50% of anomalies that can escape practitioners today. Born in 2020, Sonio combines several disciplines, including fetal medicine, ultrasound, software, and, of course, artificial intelligence. Its solution is already used by more than 250 healthcare professionals. In addition, the company has already signed partnerships, including one with Samsung France (one of the leaders in ultrasound).
More research and more contracts
“Receiving such significant funding from one of the most competitive accelerators in the world is a testament to the innovation Sonio brings to fetal medicine”, said Cécile Brosset, CEO and co-founder of Sonio. “Our hard work has paid off. I am now more convinced than ever that we can help make pregnancy care safe around the world through collective and artificial intelligence.”
The funds raised will be used to finance new research and new clinical studies. On the commercial level, these funds could also be used to accelerate the expansion of Sonio in Europe and the United States, while seeking partnerships in the countries “where access to health care is scarce”.
