Paris-based startup Nabla has successfully raised $24 million in a Series B funding round led by Cathay Innovation and featuring participation from ZEBOX Ventures, the corporate VC fund of CMA CGM. This funding follows a significant partnership with Permanente Medical Group, a division of Kaiser Permanente, propelling Nabla's valuation to $180 million.
Nabla specializes in developing an AI copilot for medical professionals, described as a silent work partner that takes notes and generates medical reports. The copilot utilizes speech-to-text technology for both in-person and telehealth consultations, streamlining the documentation process for doctors.
Alexandre Lebrun, Nabla's CEO and former head of engineering at Facebook's AI research lab FAIR, emphasized the company's commitment to assisting, not replacing, physicians. "We work by their side," Lebrun stated.
The AI copilot, demonstrated with a real doctor and a simulated patient, accurately transcribes and compiles medical reports within minutes. Nabla aims to enhance efficiency in the medical field, allowing doctors to dedicate more time to patient care.
Nabla's Copilot operates at level two of automation, with plans for clinical assurance support at level three and clinical decision support at level four, pending FDA approval. Despite advancements, Lebrun remains cautious about moving to a level five autonomous healthcare, removing physicians from the room.
While Nabla is based in France, its primary customer base is in the U.S., particularly within Permanente Medical Group. The startup's privacy model prioritizes data processing over storage, ensuring the secure handling of sensitive information. Audio files are not stored unless both doctor and patient consent, and transcripts are pseudonymized to protect patient privacy.
The company utilizes a combination of Microsoft Azure's off-the-shelf speech-to-text API and its own fine-tuned models, including GPT-3, GPT-4, and a version of Llama 2. As an enterprise customer, Nabla collaborates with OpenAI to maintain data security while improving its copilot with real-world data from over 3 million consultations annually.
In summary, Nabla's recent funding round and strategic partnerships underscore its commitment to advancing AI in healthcare, aiming to empower medical professionals rather than replace them.
