Exclusive: Sonio raises $14M Series A for prenatal screening

Sonio, a Paris-based ultrasound technology company, raised a $14 million Series A to expand in the U.S., CEO Cécile Brosset tells Axios exclusively.

Why it matters: Sonio's technology enables portable ultrasounds — a growing market in the U.S. given the ongoing shift to remote care and efforts to improve accessibility.

How it works: Sonio's technology uses artificial intelligence to automate ultrasound reporting and detect potential anomalies in ultrasound images.

• Using a mix of model-to-model and deep learning AI, the technology offers clinical decision support tools, as well as medical imaging analysis that prioritizes rare conditions.
• According to the company, its product can identify over 300 potential prenatal syndromes and anomalies with an accuracy rate of 95% and higher.
• "Like a lot of other medical imaging AIs, it raises alerts and helps triage for readers," Brosset tells Axios. "It also allows users to build the report automatically as they scan."

Details: The round was led by Cross Border Impact Ventures and the Elaia funds.

• Other business angels who invested included Dominique Gaillard (former president of France Invest), Alain Decombe (Dechert) and Yann Fleureau (founder of Cardiologs).

What's next: "This round of funding will help us build out for the next two to three years, depending on how fast we execute," Brosset says.

• Funds will expand its 30-person team, with particular emphasis on its marketing, sales and customer success divisions.
• The company sells to small private practices, hospitals and large women’s health groups
• Brosset says Sonio will also further develop its AI product for image recognition to extend the number of automatically recognized images.

What they're saying: "We expect to see attractive exits for AI-enabled B2B software companies in healthcare over the coming years," says Annie Thériault, managing partner at Cross Border Impact.

• "Sonio is well-positioned as a leader in the maternal and fetal medicine sector," she adds.

State of play: Within women's health tech, four particularly active sub-sectors are proactive fertility and reproductive health, mental health, home tests, and decision-making support for parents.

• Pomelo Care, a virtual maternal and infant health medical practice, raised $33 million.
• Intrinsic, a women's retail health and personal care products company, raised $15 million in new funding.
• Mate Fertility, a company that trains OB-GYNs in so-called fertility deserts to provide services typically performed only by specialists, raised $5.2 million in Series A funding.