French DeepTech Chipiron raises €14 million to “make MRIs as accessible as X-rays”

Chipiron, a Paris-based DeepTech company, has announced a €14.9 million Series A funding round to complete the development of its miniaturized MRI scanner, designed to make this critical imaging technology accessible worldwide.

This round is led by Blast, followed by the EIC Fund and iXcore. It is also supported by public funding: France2030 (SGI), the EIC Accelerator (European Commission), and ADD (Bpifrance).

This funding will enable Chipiron to build its first prototypes ready for hospital deployment, with clinical trials scheduled to begin in 2026.

Evan Kervella, CEO and Co-founder of Chipiron: “This fundraising marks a major turning point for Chipiron, as it validates both our technological approach and the clinical impact we aim to achieve. 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.”

Founded in 2020 by Evan Kervella (CEO) and Dimitri Labat (CSO), Chipiron’s mission has always been clear: to make MRI as accessible as x-ray. The startup specialises in ultra-low-field MRI. Its ambition is to democratise access to MRI through a lightweight, portable MRI machine that is “10 times less expensive” than current standards.

In 2021, their €967k pre-Seed round was closed with business angels and the Entrepreneur First program. Between 2022 and 2023, €967k in non-dilutive funding helped to consolidate the early R&D phases. In 2023, a €2.3 million Seed round led by Exor Ventures and Unruly Capital accelerated development.​

With this new round, Chipiron has surpassed €19 million in total funding since its creation, including equity and public support.

While the need for high-precision medical imaging continues to grow, Chipiron believes that MRIs remains underused. The reason? According to them its the expensive equipment that is difficult to deploy, and requires complex hospital infrastructure.

Chipiron’s goal is to design a next-generation MRI, as reliable as current models, but compact, mobile, and far more accessible, accessibility that is also highly inclusive, since its size allows people with pacemakers or other types of implants to reportedly undergo MRI scans, whereas traditional MRI machines exclude them.

According to Chipiron, claustrophobic individuals, obese or elderly patients, and restless children can all benefit from the precision of this examination. This is also applicable to currently excluded facilities such as local care centres, private clinics, mobile units, etc.

Dimitri Labat, CSO and Co-founder of Chipiron: “We will unlock Chipiron’s most important value inflection point early next year by demonstrating the clinical relevance of our technology. Thanks to this round led by Blast, we will be able to install our first device in a hospital to acquire MRI images o f patients in a real – world environment. These images will form the basis for the product that will profoundly transform medical imaging practice on a global scale.”

According to data provided by Chipiron, the global MRI market is estimated at €8.7 billion, including €2.1 billion in Europe and €439 million in France. Chipiron believes this market could potentially double if MRIs became accessible to more healthcare facilities.​

Anthony Bourbon, Founder and CEO of Blast. Club: “Chipiron is exactly the kind of biotech we want to boost at Blast. They’re making possible what traditional medicine still struggles to do: detect life-threatening diseases early. A major public health issue, breakthrough technology, and a strong team. Proud to support them through Blast.Club.”

Thanks to this funding round, Chipiron will complete its R&D, build its first ultra-low-field clinical prototypes, and launch its hospital trials.

Within three to five years, their objective is to converge on an initial clinical application, obtain the first FDA and CE authorizations, and deploy 100 commercial devices. The business will place an emphasis on expanding its presence throughout the US market.

Hervé Arditty, President of iXcore: “iXcore chose to invest in Chipiron for three reasons: the team is outstanding, the science and technology behind this MRI are perfectly mastered, and the company is clearly offering a game – changing product.”

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