Medtech Startup AI-Stroke Raises $4.6 Million to Bring Artificial Intelligence to Pre-CT Emergency Stroke Care

PARIS, Nov. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- AI-Stroke, a MedTech startup developing an "AI neurologist" to accelerate pre-hospital stroke triage, today announced the completion of a $4.6 million seed round led by Heka, the BrainTech-focused vehicle of Newfund VC, with participation from prominent angel investors and Bpifrance.

The funds will advance AI-Stroke's clinical validation in Europe and the United States, including multi-centre studies and its FDA approval pathway.

Founded in 2022 by a team of engineers, clinicians, and former investors, AI-Stroke enables ambulance crews and A&E teams to screen for stroke using only a smartphone. The AI analyses facial symmetry, arm movement, and speech in a 30-second video, detecting stroke signs within seconds — well before CT or MRI scans.

Built on the world's largest clinically annotated stroke-video dataset — 20,000 videos and 6 million images — AI-Stroke's system detects 2 times more true stroke cases in a study with 2,000 paramedic staff. It aligns with existing U.K. and international protocols such as FAST and CPSS, ensuring effortless adoption by emergency services.

AI-Stroke also welcomed 4 world-renowned stroke experts to its Medical Advisory Board:

• Prof. Gary Ford, Oxford University Hospitals & NICE (UK), co-developer of the FAST test
• Dr. Gregory W. Albers, Director of the Stanford Stroke Center & Co-founder of RapidAI
• Dr. Sean Savitz, Director, Institute for Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease, UTHealth Houston (Texas Medical Center)
• Dr. Pankajavalli Ramakrishnan, neurointervention specialist, Westchester Medical Center Health Network (New York)

"This round strengthens our mission to equip every ambulance and emergency department with AI-driven neurological support," said Cédric Javault, CEO of AI-Stroke. "By shortening the time to treatment, we can save more lives and improve outcomes worldwide." Simon Jiafeng Li, Chief Business Officer, added: "With new funds and this distinguished advisory team on board, we're ready to make AI-powered stroke detection a new standard of care." Constant Beroulle, Investor at Newfund Heka, commented: "AI-Stroke delivers a smart, easy-to-adopt solution to a critical, yet underserved medical need — the pre-hospital triaging of stroke. We're proud to back the team as they scale internationally and bring their technology to the market."



About AI-Stroke:

AI-Stroke SAS develops the world's first AI neurologist for pre-hospital stroke diagnostics and triage.



Contact Details:

Simon Jiafeng LI, Chief Business Officer, inquiries@ai-stroke.com. 

www.ai-stroke.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2826052/AI_Stroke_Logo.jpg

Back   |  Next story: ASUS Showcases NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 at SC25