Vienna-based ultrasound startup eyes US expansion after closing $5.5M fundraising round
A Vienna-based ultrasound startup is eyeing U.S. expansion after recently closing its $5.5 million, series A funding round.
Piur Imaging claims that its “Infinity” offering is the only vendor-neutral, tomographic 3D ultrasound solution on the market. The product connects with any such device, allowing providers to capture high-resolution volumetric measurements of organs and structures.
Infinity also allows for artificial intelligence-based analysis and remote diagnostics, making US “less operator-dependent and more efficient.”
“Ultrasound is a real-time 2D-imaging modality, which relies on a doctor’s capabilities and experience to come up with a diagnosis based on a series of 2D images of three-dimensional organs and structures,” Frederik Bender, managing director and CEO of Piur Imaging said in a July 11 announcement. “Depending on the disease, large inter- and intra-observer variabilities exist, and existing solutions cannot accurately calculate volumetric measurements, only estimations.”
European VC outfit Ascend Capital Partners led the fundraising round with German healthcare investment firm Aescuvest also contributing. Piur Imaging said it plans to use the money on research and development, marketing and partnerships. It’s also looking to launch initial sales in the U.S. while scaling in current markets such as Germany, Italy, Spain and France.
The company was originally founded in 2015 and said it hopes to score FDA clearance for its technology by the end of the year.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.