Previa Medical, a deeptech start-up specialized in developing predictive medical devices for alerting healthcare providers to the risk of potential complications, today announces it has raised €2.1 million ($2.2M) in seed funding for SEPSI-SCORE©, a specialist AI-based solution designed to improve the early detection of sepsis in healthcare facilities.
The SEPSI-SCORE platform, which gained medical device certification in 2021, can alert healthcare professionals to potential sepsis cases – up to 48 hours prior to the development of first symptoms. The platform analyzes data directly from existing software in hospitals, in real time, from the Electronic Health Records (EHR) of patients, including their laboratory results, vital signs and medical history. As this enables healthcare professionals to accurately identify patients at risk, the required treatment can be administered as soon as possible, thereby increasing the chances of patient survival.
Sepsis is one of the leading causes of hospital deaths worldwide, with a 30-day mortality rate of 20 to 30%. SEPSI-SCORE therefore provides a much-needed solution to a major global public health issue.
“We’re delighted to have secured this financial backing from our investors, a testament to their belief in our technology. We are confident that through their business development experience, technical expertise and network in the healthcare sector, we’ll be able to take our business to the next level,” said Quentin François, co-founder and CEO of Previa Medical.
Kreaxi, M2care, Veymont Participations, Hopla Memory, CCI Capital Croissance, Holding Seraip, Bpifrance and BNP Paribas participated in this first round of funding, with a contribution in the form of equity capital and loans from the Banque populaire AURA. This funding is in addition to a subsidy awarded as part of the Grand Défi sur l’IA et la Santé [AI for health challenge] launched in 2022 by BPI France and the French health ministry.
Previa Medical will use the funds to run a prospective multicenter clinical trial for SEPSI-SCORE, aimed at scientifically validating the solution to achieve two major objectives:
- Reducing inpatient length of stays
- Reducing the sepsis-mortality rate
The company also plans to strengthen its team, with a view to expanding its product’s reach and preparing for the commercial launch phase.
“The management team’s approach, as well as its decision to develop a solution for sepsis, a complex disease, have impressed me most about the Previa Medical project. There is a real medical need to improve monitoring, prediction and diagnosis,” explained Sandra Dubos, investment director at Kreaxi. “This start-up’s solution is completely agnostic and can be used for any patient who might be at risk of developing sepsis.”
“M2care’s decision to invest in Previa Medical was based on its highly skilled founders and their vision to develop viable applications for predictive medicine that will benefit patients and healthcare professionals alike. Our team of entrepreneurs in residence are convinced this solution has real potential; they are committed to de-risking the project’s next clinical, commercial and financial milestones, while also accelerating its growth and strengthening its operational team,” said Florence Thueux, president and managing director of M2care.
“We decided to invest in this dynamic start-up because it operates in the healthcare sector and uses AI in its technology. We have shareholders in both these areas who have valuable expertise that they can bring to the Previa Medical team,” added Aymeri Chomel, president of Veymont Participations.
