Startup Raidium raises nearly $17M, seeks to launch the ‘GPT of radiology’
French startup Raidium has raised nearly $17 million (USD) as it seeks to launch the first “GPT of radiology.”
Newfund and Kurma Partners, two European venture capital firms, led the fundraising round. Founded in 2022, Raidium is a med-tech firm developing a 3D foundation model for the specialty. The product is delivered to radiologists through a PACS viewer, “enabling direct interaction…like a radiology copilot,” the company noted.
Leaders said the company is initially focused on enhancing biomarkers in clinical trials, particularly related to oncology and liver disease, before expanding to the broader radiologist workflow.
“As a radiologist [who is] passionate about AI, I see firsthand how current solutions fail to truly support radiologists and, by extension, patients who rely on timely and accurate diagnoses,” Dr. Paul Herent, Raidium’s co-founder and CEO, said in a Nov. 28 announcement. “At Raidium, our mission is to create a scalable, life-saving solution that transforms radiology into a more precise and accessible field.”
Herent and colleagues noted that the funds will help to strengthen the company’s leadership in biomedical imaging and accelerate its expansion in the United States and Europe. Raidium’s said its foundation model enables the creation of an “imaging biomarker factory” for both clinical practice and research. The startup provides detailed 3D segmentation, advanced measurements and automated analysis of complex biomarkers. It can do so at “unprecedented speed,” with Raidium claiming its tech is “2,500 times faster than manual methods.” The AI model analyzes the entire human body, addressing complex cases, enhancing productivity by generating “comprehensive, automated reports.”
Raidium plans to open new offices in the U.S. to expand its network, pursue FDA certification and intensify research and development. Leaders hope to double the company’s workforce in the near term, adding 25 new members in R&D, regulatory affairs and commercial partnerships.
“We are confident that the product developed by Raidium will become essential and experience exponential adoption in hospitals. Newfund will have the opportunity to support the company in its expansion in the U.S. and the validation of its first clinical use case,” Anne-Sophie Saint-Martin, a partner at Newfund, said in the announcement.
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.