Resolve Stroke Raises €2.2 Million to Accelerate the Development
of its High-Resolution Ultrasound Imaging platform
Paris, France / September 18, 2023
- This first funding will enable the development of the company’s unique digital system for high resolution 3D ultrasound imaging and the collection of initial clinical trial data for the development of new neuro biomarkers.
- The team will focus on neuromonitoring applications at the patient’s bedside, before aiming to revolutionize upstream stroke management, a disease that affects more than 17 million people every year, the second leading cause of death worldwide
- Resolve Scan 2023 – Resolve Stroke cofounders: Aritz Zamacola, Dr. Vincent Hingot et Dr. Olivier Couture © Cyril FRESILLON / Resolve Stroke / LIB / Sorbonne univ. / Inserm / CNRS Image
Resolve Stroke a pioneer in digital High-Resolution 3D Ultrasound-medical imaging, announced today that it has secured €2.2 million in seed funding. The financing round was led by OVNI Capital and Quantonation, with participation from Kima ventures and key seasoned business angels.
Resolve stroke began from its cofounders’ personal experience with the extraordinary power and many challenges of conventional ultrasound and the development of a new ultrasound concept that surpasses the conventional diffraction limit of echography by more than tenfold. Despite conventional ultrasound technologies are known as one of the safest and most affordable imaging modalities, they are considered as a limited modality in comparison with MRI in terms of resolution and automation. However, MRI is accessible to just a small percentage of patients being an expensive and non-portable imaging tool. Globally, 4.7 billion people lack access to any form of medical imaging. In stroke management, for instance, the lack of access to a quick diagnosis, not today feasible with ultrasound, is partially responsible of the 70% of the patient that are too late to receive a treatment.
“When you know that in the United States alone, every 30 seconds someone has a stroke, and every 4 minutes someone dies of it, you understand the scale of the issue » starts Aritz Zamacola, CEO of Resolve Stroke.
What if MRI-quality results could be obtained with the portability and accessibility of an ultrasound device? What if organs were finally visible on a microscopic scale with a non-invasive imaging tool?
Safe, portable, non-user dependent, Resolve Stroke’ s medical imaging ultrasound platform that should drastically improves contrast, resolution, and penetration depth of ultrasound for blood flow imaging and characterizations is designed to support physicians and patients in numerous applications, everywhere. Resolve Stroke’s core technology adapts more than a decade of academic research. Resolve Stroke was selected the year it was founded as one of the 5 most promising spin-offs of 2022 by Nature Awards. Resolve Stroke will first focus on the development of a solution for bedside neuromonitoring. Physicians will be able to conduct detailed diagnostic imaging directly at the patient’s bedside, eliminating the need for unnecessary patient transfers and significantly enhancing clinical decision-making.
“Our mission at Resolve Stroke is to revolutionize medical imaging by harnessing the power of ultrasound digitalization, advanced physics algorithms, and artificial intelligence. We aim to preserve the intrinsic qualities of ultrasound imaging systems such as their portability and low costs while addressing their limitations by enhancing resolution and minimizing user-induced variability in results » said Aritz Zamacola, CEO and co-founder of Resolve Stroke. « Our solution has the potential to be deployed in diverse environments, from ambulances to operating rooms, and across various applications ranging from brain diseases to transplant assessments. We are thrilled to collaborate with our new partners as we enter a pivotal stage in our company’s evolution. »
The spin-off from Sorbonne Université uses the latest advances in ultrasound digitization and calculation tools. Today’s tools enable the application of advanced physics algorithms and pave the way for the use of artificial intelligence for data analysis. The core technologies have already demonstrated their ability to surpass the limitations of current medical imaging systems for some applications.
Founded in 2022 by Olivier Couture, PhD, Vincent Hingot, PhD, and Aritz Zamacola, Resolve Stroke has shown its prowess at speed and innovation with the development of a first clinical prototype and the preparation of a preliminary clinical trial for Stroke Patients in the Neuro Intensive Care Unit at Caen Hospital, France.
Augustin Sayer, Managing Partner of OVNI Capital, commented, « We are delighted to support this team in pushing the boundaries of ultrasound technology in medical imaging. We share the vision of creating a new era for medical imaging by developing fully digitalized, high-end ultrasound systems and uncovering new biomarkers that address unmet medical needs in critical applications. »
« This is about paving the way for improved patient care in critical situations, but also to open up new avenues for the discovery of biomarkers based on blood flow. After a decade of outstanding physics research, access to such data from within the body presents numerous opportunities. The mere idea of improving diagnostics for millions of stroke patients opens up vast possibilities, » stated Jean-Gabriel Boinot-Tramoni, Principal at Quantonation. « We are very excited to support the next generation physics-based technology embodied by a startup like Resolve stroke: deep scientific roots in ultrasound and data acquisition coupled with a pragmatic go-to market strategy that will eventually enhance the day-to-day practice of physicians. »
Resolve Stroke will use the funding to expand its team and accelerate the development of its groundbreaking high-resolution vascular medical imaging system.
About Resolve Stroke
Resolve Stroke draws on more than a decade of academic research to significantly improve ultrasound-captured data through the use of cutting-edge algorithms and AI. By providing physicians with a portable, non-user-dependent, and safe system that drastically improves contrast, resolution, and penetration depth of ultrasound for blood flow imaging and characterizations, Resolve Stroke aims to enhance diagnostics for better and accelerated patient care. Physicians will be able conduct detailed diagnostic imaging directly at the patient’s bedside or in an ambulance, eliminating the need for unnecessary patient transfers and significantly enhancing clinical decision-making. The versatility of the approach will empower clinicians to make accurate and efficient assessments across multiple specialties, including neurovascular, abdominal, and cardiac.
Contact: Aritz Zamacola – Chief Executive Officer – Aritz.zamacola@resolvestroke.com
About Investors
OVNI Capital is an innovative first-check VC fund on a mission to catalyze ground-breaking transformations in global markets, driven by visionary entrepreneurs with an unwavering commitment to reshaping the world as we know it. OVNI Capital firmly believes that a true game-changer knows no boundaries. As such, OVNI Capital actively seeks mission-driven entrepreneurs with a relentless international mindset. Backed by an exceptional network of accomplished entrepreneurs, OVNI Capital possesses the knowledge, experience, and resources to empower its portfolio companies. Our partners are not only financial supporters but also invaluable mentors and advisors. For more information and news www.ovni.vc
Contact: Augustin Sayer – Augustin@ovni.vc
Quantonation is the first early-stage VC fund dedicated to deep physics and quantum technologies. Field such as high-performance computation, medical imaging, or ultra precise sensing are now driven by innovation based on these disruptive technologies. Quantonation aims at supporting their transition into commercially available products. Quantonation is headquartered in Paris, France, with investments all over the world. For more information and news www.quantonation.com
Contact: Éléonore de Rose – eleonore@quantonation.com