Samsung completes €86M takeover of French AI ultrasound startup Sonio

Samsung Medison, a medical equipment unit of Samsung Electronics, has completed its acquisition of French AI-powered ultrasound startup Sonio in a deal worth 126.5bn Won (€86mn). 

Founded in 2020, Sonio has developed an AI assistant that helps doctors conduct ultrasound exams faster and more accurately. The French startup recently received FDA approval for Sonio Detect, a product that uses deep learning algorithms to improve the image quality of ultrasound scans in real time. 

Sonio Detect’s AI model is trained on over a million real ultrasound images. The software is designed to identify prenatal syndromes and abnormalities that doctor’s might’ve missed otherwise. 

Samsung Medison’s CEO, Kyu Tae Yoo, said Sonio’s software will “enhance” its ultrasound tech offerings by “improving exam quality, efficiency, and overall patient care.” 

Samsung Medison has acquired 100% of Sonio’s shares under the deal. However, the Korean tech giant stressed that Sonio will remain an independent company headquartered in France that will “continue its commercial growth independently.” Sonio’s products will also remain compatible with all ultrasound devices, not just Samsung’s. 

Sonio last year secured $14mn in a Series A led by Cross Border Impact Ventures.The company has raised a total of $27.2mn, according to Tracxn. 

Led by OpenAI rival Mistral, France has become a European hotbed for artificial intelligence. In May, Paris-based startup Holistic (now known simply as H) raised a whopping $200mn in a round that values the company at $370mn. 

However, while France’s AI sector is booming, whether it can hold on to that talent is another story. Although Samsung is adamant that Sonio will remain “independent,” in effect, Europe’s just lost another startup to a foreign tech giant. If France is to truly capitalise on its AI boom, it will need to prove that Europe can not only create top startups, but also scale them.