Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** French startup SquareMind has secured $18 million to expand its AI-driven skin imaging robot, Swan, into European and U.S. markets. The round was co-led by Bpifrance’s Deep Tech 2030 fund and Sonder Capital, with additional backing from Adamed and Calm/Storm Ventures.
French startup SquareMind has raised $18 million to deploy Swan, its AI-powered skin imaging robot, across Europe and the United States. The announcement was made on April 27. The funding round was led by the Deep Tech 2030 fund, managed by Bpifrance on behalf of the state under the France 2030 plan, and by Sonder Capital, a California-based fund co-founded by Fred Moll, a pioneer in medical robotics and founder of Intuitive Surgical. Adamed, Calm/Storm Ventures, and Teampact Ventures also participated.
SquareMind has developed a robot named Swan, designed to map and digitize the entire skin surface in minutes at a resolution comparable to a dermatoscope. Image acquisition is fully automated. Once scanning is complete, AI tools track the appearance or evolution of moles. The physician retains control over clinical decisions. According to the startup, Swan is the world’s first robot capable of performing this type of high-resolution full-body mapping.
Between 141,200 and 243,500 skin cancers are diagnosed annually in France, according to the latest figures from Santé Publique France. The number of new cases has tripled between 1990 and 2023. In more than 85% of cases, these cancers are attributable to excessive exposure to natural or artificial UV radiation. Meanwhile, the average wait time for a dermatologist appointment has reached 95 days across all departments. This bottleneck hinders early detection and treatment.
Faced with this saturation, robot-assisted detection aims to speed up skin exams while maintaining clinical rigor. Automation of imaging allows for a higher volume of patients to be treated without sacrificing examination quality.
With this $18 million funding round, SquareMind is preparing to launch Swan commercially in European and American markets. The company plans to strengthen its sales, engineering, and customer support teams. The robot will be offered for purchase at a price close to €200,000, as well as for rent, depending on the means and usage of medical centers. This dual offering aims to broaden access to the technology, particularly for facilities with constrained budgets.
Skin cancer cases have tripled between 1990 and 2023. More than 85% are linked to excessive UV exposure. Early detection has become a public health priority. The robot is available for purchase (€200,000) or rental. This flexibility aims to expand access to budget-constrained centers and accelerate deployment. SquareMind is launching Swan simultaneously in Europe and the United States. The entry of Sonder Capital, a US fund co-founded by Fred Moll (Intuitive Surgical), reinforces the international dimension.
The funding round illustrates the weight of the France 2030 plan in financing medical deeptech. The Deep Tech 2030 fund, managed by Bpifrance, supports high-tech projects capable of creating industrial sectors. The entry of Sonder Capital, a US fund specialized in medical robotics, strengthens the transatlantic dimension of the project. Fred Moll, co-founder of the fund, has already supported several successes in the sector, starting with Intuitive Surgical, a pioneer in robot-assisted surgery. The participation of Adamed, Calm/Storm Ventures, and Teampact Ventures broadens the investor base to include those experienced in funding health startups in the deployment phase.
SquareMind is not alone in the skin cancer screening niche. DermaScan, a startup incubated at Hexa, is developing a network of specialized screening centers, supported by Céline Lazorthes (Resilience) and Jean-Charles Samuelian (Alan). The two approaches differ: DermaScan focuses on dedicated centers, while SquareMind equips existing clinics and hospitals with a robot. The competition between these models reflects the diversity of strategies to absorb screening demand. The market is vast, demand is growing, and both models can coexist.
The shortage of dermatologists in France is not new, but it is worsening. The 95-day wait time for an appointment reflects a strained medical demographic and constantly rising demand. An aging population and increasing skin cancer rates amplify the imbalance. Swan is not intended to replace the doctor. It aims to relieve dermatologists of time-consuming systematic imaging tasks, allowing them to focus on clinical analysis and therapeutic decisions. The robot documents, maps, and tracks over time. The doctor interprets and decides. This division of roles between machine and clinician is at the heart of SquareMind’s positioning. AI assists; it does not diagnose alone. This approach limits regulatory risks and facilitates acceptance by healthcare professionals.