Paris, France-based medical device maker SuperSonic Imagine aims to use the funds from a $36 million raise to accelerate global sales and marketing efforts, according to a company statement.
The company’s going to focus much of those efforts in China, one of the world’s fastest-growing medical device markets, which some analyst say will reach $1 trillion in value by 2020.
The global market is vital to SuperSonic, which last year pulled 80% of its revenue from international sales. Since the company has expanded its focus to market Aixplorer to a more diverse clinical population, the device has really taken off, according to a statement.
The new money, half of which came from the French Investment Fund, will fuel a new push for SuperSonic’s Aixplorer ultrasound system, which was initially launched in 2009 as a women’s health technology. The device "now covers all fields of general radiology, with regulatory approval in all key international markets," the company said.
"Currently certified in 54 countries and with more than 500 units sold around the globe, Aixplorer is a worldwide success," founder & CEO Jacques Souquet said in prepared remarks. "This new injection of funds will allow us to take a leap forward in our commercial development with a particular focus on the booming Chinese market."
SuperSonic claims its Aixplorer’s proprietary ShearWave Elastrography is the only modality available on any ultrasound system that can reliably detect tissue stiffness. The device also features UltraFast Doppler blood flow imaging, which SuperSonic says provides faster and more reliable diagnoses.
