German venture capital investor MIG Capital has closed a Series A financing for HawkCell, a French healthtech startup developing a solution to turn human MRI into the first animal-dedicated imaging enhanced with AI algorithms.
According to a press release, the new funds will enable HawkCell to scale up its business, enhance its ongoing efforts to elevate animal imaging and drive expansion into the North American pet market. HawkCell has developed a system incorporating both hardware and software solutions to augment animal MRI imaging, which uses patented 3D-printed MRI coils adapted to the morphology of animals to provide images and a proprietary animal positioner to decrease the use of anaesthesia and reduce risk. HawkCell’s system also incorporates AI, applying quantitative and denoising algorithms to reduce image acquisition time and provide improved image quality.
In a statement, Andreas Kastenbauer, a Partner at MIG Capital, said: “The animal health space offers great investment opportunities while helping pets and pet owners achieve a better quality of life. Veterinary clinics increasingly demand innovative solutions to offer the same quality of treatment and services available to humans. With its one-of-a-kind imaging solutions for veterinarians and pre-clinical research, HawkCell will change how we understand and care for animals. We have been impressed by the highly talented and dedicated team with admirable ambitions to transform the future of animal imaging. We are excited to support HawkCell in this new growth phase.”
HawkCell is based in Lyon and marks MIG’s fourth investment in France over the past three years, following semiconductor production startup Zadient in 2021, industrial manufacturing startup Inbolt in 2022 and space technology startup Look Up Space in 2023.
