SquareMind, a Paris-based AI and robotics company, has raised $18 million to bring its automated skin imaging robot to clinics and hospitals in the United States and Europe. The company was co-founded by Ali Khachlouf, who serves as CEO, and built its technology alongside practicing dermatologists.
The context behind the funding matters. The number of new invasive melanoma cases diagnosed annually rose 42% between 2015 and 2025, yet the number of dermatologists has not grown at the same pace. By 2023, wait times at many practices were stretching into months, with some facilities in areas like Boston reporting waits of over eight months. The root cause is structural. Most dermatology residency positions are funded by Medicare, and those funding levels have not kept up with population growth since the 1990s. Skin screening is the single highest-volume procedure in the specialty, and the gap between supply and demand keeps widening.
The round was led by Sonder Capital, a California-based venture fund co-founded by Fred Moll, the medical robotics pioneer behind Intuitive Surgical. Additional backers include the Deeptech 2030 Fund, managed on behalf of the French government through a Bpifrance initiative, along with Adamed Technology, Calm/Storm Ventures, and Teampact Ventures.
The staffing shortage is only part of the problem. Inside the exam room, time pressure creates a second issue: thorough documentation of skin lesions is difficult to do consistently when appointments are short and back-to-back. That gap matters clinically. According to SquareMind, 80% of melanomas are new lesions, which means a doctor's ability to detect change over time depends heavily on having accurate records from previous visits. Without them, comparisons become unreliable.
SquareMind built Swan to handle that documentation work automatically. The robot captures standardized images of the full body at dermoscopic level, a degree of detail normally achieved by pressing a handheld device directly against the skin to examine individual moles up close. By automating the image acquisition, Swan frees the dermatologist to focus on interpretation and patient care rather than spending time on the mechanical work of capturing images.
"Dermatologists are operating under increasing pressure, facing strong cognitive load and fatigue. Our technology acts as their companion, helping to reduce this burden, optimize their time, and support comprehensive documentation so they can stay focused on patient care and clinical decision-making." — Ali Khachlouf, Co-founder and CEO of SquareMind.
The funding will go toward expanding SquareMind's commercial, engineering, and customer support teams as the company prepares for a near-term product launch. The US and Europe are the initial target markets, and both are already accessible: Swan holds FDA-listed status for the United States and CE marking for Europe, which means regulatory approval for commercial use is in place.
Building out customer support infrastructure is also a stated priority. That choice reflects a company getting ready to ship product, not one still in early development. Hiring for commercial and support roles before a launch typically signals that a product rollout is close rather than theoretical. The geographic focus on the US and Europe is consistent with where the company's regulatory approvals, investor base, and clinical partnerships currently sit.
"We fundamentally believe that advances in AI and medical robotics will reshape medical practice by automating routine procedures, optimizing clinical time, and expanding access to high-quality care. SquareMind has developed a truly unique platform that has the potential to become the global standard of care in modern dermatology." — Kate Garrett, Managing Partner at Sonder Capital.
Swan is described by the company as the first robot designed for full-body dermoscopic skin imaging. In a private exam room, the patient stands in front of the robot while a robotic arm moves around them, guided by visual and audio prompts. The process is contactless and takes only a few minutes. Once complete, the images are reviewed using AI-based software that helps track new or changing moles over time. The physician retains full responsibility for any clinical decision.
What distinguishes the approach is scale. Traditional dermoscopic exams require a clinician to manually examine each area of the skin using a handheld tool, which is time-consuming and difficult to standardize across visits. Swan captures the entire skin surface in a single automated session, producing consistent images that can be meaningfully compared at follow-up appointments. The company says the platform was developed in close collaboration with dermatologists and integrates directly into existing clinical workflows.
The $18 million total includes previously undisclosed pre-Series A financing. Sonder Capital, the lead investor, concentrates on medical device, diagnostic, and health technology companies at the early stage. Its co-founder Fred Moll previously built Intuitive Surgical into one of the best-known names in surgical robotics before establishing Sonder.
The Deeptech 2030 Fund, managed on behalf of the French government through a Bpifrance initiative, also participated. Adamed Technology, Calm/Storm Ventures, and Teampact Ventures complete the investor group.
