Iktos raises €15.5 million to be used in the discovery of new drugs using AI
On March 9, 2023, Iktos, a company established in 2016 and specializing in the use of artificial intelligence to discover new drugs, announced that it had closed a €15.5 million “series A” round of financing. It was co-led by the new investors M Ventures and the Debiopharm Innovation Fund, with the participation of Omnes Capital. This financing will enable the company to develop its AI and drug discovery capabilities and expand its existing SaaS software offering. It will also enable the launch of Iktos Robotics, a unique platform that covers all stages of drug discovery. The startup will also extend the application of its solutions to biological products (peptides, antibodies, etc.).
Hapni raises €2 million to combat sleep apnea
Established in October 2022, Hapni has designed a platform for the online screening of sleep apnea, based on a questionnaire drawn up with partner physicians. When more than 30 episodes of sleep apneas an hour are detected at home via sensors, the users are oriented to a care pathway, co-ordinated by the primary care physician. On March 14, the company announced it had completed a €2 million fund-raising exercise with Otium Capital. “We want to find the largest possible number of patients, while at the same time continuing to improve our technology and create new partnerships with sleep physicians. There are 5,000 such physicians in France,” said Jean-Eudes d’Abadie, founder and director of Hapni. The startup has so far carried out 4,000 screenings and has discovered that one in two people tested suffer from severe sleep apnea. The company that currently has around a dozen or so employees, will recruit an additional 25 this year.
Kayentis raises €5 million to reinforce its activities in the USA
On March 28, 2023, Kayentis, a provider of electronic data collection systems for clinical trials and clinical trial decentralization solutions, revealed that it has secured an additional €5 million in funding with the support of its existing investors, LBO France, Extens and Bpifrance. They have seen an increase in capital of €2.2 million, to which will be added a further €2.8 million in bank loans.
The business, which was created in 2003, is expanding in the United States, at a time when the eCOA market (electronic clinical outcomes assessment solutions) is experiencing significant growth. Kayentis’ solutions are designed to facilitate the management of clinical trials and improve the experience of patients and sites.
Kiro raises €13.8 million for its digital medicine platform
On March 28, Kiro, a digital medicine business that is developing an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that makes it possible to treat the results of medical biology examinations, announced that it had raised €13.8 million during a series A financing round. The financing round was carried out by Sofinnova Partners, with the participation of the Fonds Ambition Amorçage Angels (F3A) from France 2030, managed on behalf of the state by Bpifrance, Kurma Partners, alongside Propulia Capital, European and US entrepreneurs and business angels.
Kiro was established in 2019, and its technology is based on AI and a unique expertise in medical biology to develop time-saving decision-making support solutions for doctors. At the same time, the platform helps patients to better understand their results. The AI model was trained on over 26 million medical biology reports in order to detect the early appearance of diseases.
Cellprothera raises €4.4 million for cellular regeneration
The business established in 2008 is developing a unique therapy that implants stem cells to regenerate heart tissue damaged following a heart attack. These cells are taken via a simple blood sampling process, then multiplied in a dedicated automaton. They are then injected into the area to be repaired. As a result, rejection is no longer a possibility as the patient in fact acts as their own drug.
On March 29, the company announced that it had raised €4.4 million from family offices and healthcare entrepreneurs, which it will use to finalize its clinical trials and automate drug production. The company has already carried out several financing rounds totaling approximately €30 million.
Inato raises $20 million to make clinical trials more inclusive
On March 29, Inato, the main technological platform that provides access to inclusive clinical trials, announced the closing of a series A financing round of $20 million with the main investor Cathay Innovation, return investor Obvious Ventures, and new investors La Maison and Top Harvest Capital. This new financing will allow Inato to continue with its product innovation, ensure international growth and recruit the most talented individuals. The startup, which was established in 2016, will develop its diverse product offering in order that sponsors may reach their strategic objectives for diversity in line with the FDA’s new requirements.