Chipiron Secures $17 Million to Advance Miniaturized MRI Technology
French medical technology company Chipiron announced today that it has raised $17 million in a Series A funding round to complete the development of its revolutionary miniaturized MRI scanner. The funding will enable the company to build its first prototypes ready for hospital deployment and prepare for clinical trials scheduled to begin in 2026. Chipiron’s ultimate goal is to make MRI technology as accessible worldwide as X-ray imaging.
Founded in 2020, Chipiron has now secured a total of over $22 million in funding since its inception. The latest funding round was led by Blast, with participation from the EIC Fund and iXcore. This follows previous funding rounds, including a $1.1 million pre-seed round in 2021 and a $2.7 million seed round in 2023.
The company’s innovative ultra-low-field MRI technology promises to bring the reliability of current MRI models while being more compact, mobile, and accessible. This advancement could significantly expand MRI accessibility to patients who are currently unable to undergo traditional MRI scans, including those with pacemakers or other implants, claustrophobic individuals, obese or elderly patients, and restless children.
The funds raised will be used to complete Chipiron’s R&D phase, build the first clinical prototypes of their ultra-low-field MRI, and launch clinical trials. The company expects to obtain its first FDA and European authorizations within the next 3-5 years, with a particular focus on targeting the U.S. healthcare market.
“This fundraising marks a major turning point for Chipiron, as it validates both our technological approach and the clinical impact we aim to achieve,” said Evan Kervella, CEO and co-founder of Chipiron. “Thanks to the trust of our investors, we now have the means to complete our R&D phase and begin clinical investigations in hospitals as early as next year. Our goal has remained the same since day one: to transform MRI accessibility and fundamentally change medical care worldwide.”
