Samsung Medison, a global medical equipment company and an affiliate of Samsung Electronics, completed on August 31 the acquisition of Sonio SAS, a leading French ultrasound AI software company. Sonio was co-founded by Indian startup entrepreneur Deepak Prakash, who also is the company’s CTO.
The closing of the transaction was subject to applicable regulatory approvals, notably the approval of the French Ministry of the Economy and Finance. Following the completion of the transaction, Sonio will remain an independent company headquartered in France and will continue its commercial growth independently.
Sonio was established in 2020 with a mission to enhance women and children’s health globally. The company developed industry leading IT solutions and AI assistant features for obstetrics and gynaecology ultrasound that robustly assisted medical professionals in the evaluation and documentation of ultrasound exams.
Sonio Detect, an FDA 510(k) cleared AI assistant, provides accurate feedback on ultrasound examination quality and demonstrates remarkable performance with over 90% sensitivity in recognizing fetal ultrasound views. Together with Sonio’s world-class AI expertise, Samsung Medison’s leading-edge ultrasound systems will help bring to market, breakthrough AI- enhanced workflows and accelerate innovation in patient outcomes and quality of prenatal care.
Deepak Prakash had graduated in Computer Science in 2006 from Model Engineering College (MEC), Ernakulam, Kerala. He then started working on layout modeling for a chip design software (Apache Design) which was acquired by Ansys. Later, he took the entrepreneurial route by founding Zoomdeck, a web/mobile startup. In 2014, he moved to Paris to become one of the early employees of an ad-tech startup AlephD which was then bought by AOL.
“The opportunity to build something profoundly impactful at the intersection of healthcare, AI and real time-tech is what drew me to Sonio,” said Deepak Prakash, CTO. Being passionate about startups and tech, he enjoys taking a sustainable approach to problems. “Samsung's acquisition is a testament to the impact we have created thanks to the incredible tech, products and team we built in the past years. It is truly special that Indian engineers figure prominently in our exceptional team,” he said. Together, Samsung and Sonio aim to bring about a transformational shift in prenatal ultrasound examinations that would especially be a gamechanger in developing regions of the world including India,” Prakash added.
Said Yong Kwan Kim, Samsung Medison CEO, “We have great respect and admiration for what the Sonio team has built in the area of maternal care. Through the acquisition of Sonio, Samsung Medison will continue to deliver upon our promise to improve the quality of people’s lives with technology.” The collaboration with Sonio will bring together best-in-class ultrasound AI technology and reporting capabilities, he added.
“Samsung Medison’s established global ultrasound business combined with Sonio’s advanced AI creates an exciting growth opportunity for both sides,” said Cécile Brosset, Sonio CEO and Co-founder. “In addition to close collaboration with Samsung Medison, as an independent company, Sonio will continue to advance medical reporting technology and diagnostic software globally, including for underserved areas in healthcare.”
About Samsung Medison: Samsung Medison is a leading global medical device company, specializing in diagnostic imaging devices. With a mission to bring health and well-being to people’s lives, the company is committed to creating a new future for medical professionals and patients around the world across various medical fields. In 2011, Samsung Medison became an affiliate company of Samsung Electronics, integrating the world’s best IT, image processing, semiconductor and communication technologies into medical devices. For more information, please visit https://www.samsungmedison.com/
About Sonio: Sonio’s AI-enhanced software empowers prenatal sonographers and ultrasound readers and assists them in performing prenatal examinations that meet the highest quality standards, while ensuring the completeness of each examination, streamlining their workflow and increasing the accuracy of prenatal diagnoses. Sonio’s software is the product of more than five years of research and collaboration between leading experts in the areas of maternal-fetal medicine and AI. Sonio’s investors include Elaia Partners, Bpifrance’s French Tech Seed fund, OneRagtime, Cross Border Impact Ventures and EIC Fund (European Innovation Council). To learn more about Sonio, visit our website https://sonio.ai/
