WAIV raises $33 million to revolutionize oncology with AI

WAIV: A New Era for Cancer Diagnosis Through AI

Artificial intelligence is increasingly making its way into the complex field of cancer diagnosis, and the Parisian start-up Waiv is a striking example. This young company has just raised $33 million, approximately €30 million, to accelerate the development of its precision oncology tests. These AI-based tests aim to transform how clinicians analyze cancers and select the most suitable treatments.

Waiv was born from the diagnostic division of Owkin, and its ambition is clear: to industrialize a new generation of tests capable of simultaneously leveraging digital pathology data, clinical information, and biological insights. The goal is to identify the most appropriate treatments for each patient, thus aligning with precision medicine. This approach no longer relies on a single biomarker but on the analysis of multiple biological and clinical signals, making data interpretation crucial to surpass traditional diagnostic methods.

Innovation at the Heart of Digital Pathology

At the core of Waiv's technology is the AI analysis of digitized pathology slides, a rapidly expanding field known as digital pathology. Traditionally, these slides were examined under a microscope by pathologists. Now, they can be scanned and interpreted by machine learning models capable of detecting biological signatures invisible to the naked eye.

The tests developed by Waiv can predict responses to certain treatments, identify biomarkers, and improve patient stratification. Among the products already available are RlapsRisk BC, MSIntuit Suite, and BRCAura BC, which focus particularly on breast cancer. By utilizing data from current clinical practices, the technology aims to simplify diagnostic pathways and reduce the reliance on certain supplementary examinations, while speeding up therapeutic decision-making.

To support these developments, Waiv relies on the PortrAIt consortium, a European network for precision medicine data, as well as a technological platform integrating proprietary models and multimodal analyses. The company also offers Destra, an interoperable digital pathology platform that allows laboratories and pathologists to access tests directly within their existing workflows.

A Rapidly Expanding Market

Waiv's initiative comes at a time when artificial intelligence is gradually transforming oncological diagnosis. The automated analysis of histological images is now considered one of the most promising applications of medical AI. Globally, several companies are competing in this emerging market.

In the United States, PathAI has established itself as one of the pioneers in the sector. Founded in 2016, this company develops AI models capable of analyzing tumor tissues to improve diagnosis and optimize clinical trials for pharmaceutical laboratories. Another major player, Tempus, has built a platform that combines clinical, genomic, and AI analyses to guide therapeutic decisions in oncology. The American company relies on one of the largest clinical and molecular data sets in the industry.

In Europe, Ibex Medical Analytics is a reference in the automated analysis of pathology slides, with solutions already deployed in several hospitals to detect various types of cancers. In this competitive environment, differentiation largely depends on data quality, clinical validation of models, and the ability to integrate these tools into hospital workflows.

A Strategy Bridging Diagnosis and Pharmaceutical Research

Beyond clinical use, Waiv is also developing collaborations with the pharmaceutical industry to identify new biomarkers and improve patient selection in clinical trials. The company is working with Merck & Co. to identify, through artificial intelligence, MSI biomarkers in colorectal cancer.

This dual approach, combining clinical diagnostics and pharmaceutical research, represents one of the favored business models in the medical AI sector. The technologies developed can both guide treatments in clinical practice and accelerate the development of new drugs.

A Spin-Out Driven by Entrepreneurial Researchers

Waiv is led by Meriem Sefta, a graduate of MIT and a former Chief Diagnostic Officer at Owkin, who has a background at the Institut Curie. The company builds on over a decade of research in artificial intelligence applied to oncology. According to the leader, "precision medicine only works if patients are confidently directed to the treatment that suits them best," highlighting the current complexity of therapeutic decisions in oncology.

A Fundraising Round for International Expansion

To support its development, Waiv announces a fundraising round of $33 million, approximately €30 million, led by OTB Ventures and Alpha Intelligence Capital, with participation from Serena Data Ventures, Karista, and Sista Fund. This funding will allow the company to expand its portfolio of clinical-grade tests, strengthen collaborations with the pharmaceutical industry, and accelerate its international expansion.

As the volume of medical data continues to grow and new targeted therapies emerge, AI tools capable of analyzing this information are gradually becoming a central component of precision medicine. In this global race for diagnostic AI, Waiv aims to establish itself as one of the European players capable of transforming these technologies into scalable clinical solutions.