iPremom raises €15m to transform pregnancy care with molecular diagnostics

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iPremom, a molecular diagnostics company dedicated to the earliest prediction of pregnancy complications, has raised €15m in seed funding led by Amadeus Capital Partners, co-led by Asabys (Sabadell Asabys II) with participation from APEX Ventures. The funding will support clinical validation and the commercial rollout of its MaiRa platform, which analyses early signals of first-trimester pregnancy complications through a simple blood test.

Pregnancy complications remain a major challenge for families and health systems worldwide, claiming 260,000[i] maternal lives, nearly 2 million[ii] babies stillborn at 28 weeks or more of gestation, and 2.3 million[iii] children in the first month of life annually. Preeclampsia alone now affects 5 to 8%[iv] of all pregnancies globally, while pre-term birth, foetal growth restriction, and gestational diabetes place further strain on families and health systems. Despite this, current diagnostic tools often identify risks only after complications have already begun to develop.

iPremom’s MaiRa platform is built on more than a decade of research by co-founders Professor Carlos Simón, MD, PhD, Chairman of iPremom, and Dr Tamara Garrido, Chief Scientific Officer. Their work shows that the molecular signals linked to pregnancy complications can be detected in maternal blood from the first trimester, well before clinical symptoms appear. In preeclampsia, for example, this is linked to decidualisation resistance, where the uterine lining does not develop as expected, leaving a detectable cell‑free RNA (cfRNA) signal in the blood as early as 9 to 14 weeks into the pregnancy.

Using a single blood sample, clinicians can now use MaiRa to analyse cfRNA and use predictive modelling to assess risk across a range of pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia, months before symptoms appear. The platform has been developed using real-life patient data from more than 26,000 samples, linked to 10,000 pregnancies that were part of the PREMOM study, one of Spain’s largest prospective clinical trials. This dataset is also already supporting the identification of molecular signals linked to a broader set of complications, which will be added to the platform over time.

Led by CEO Guillermo Ferrando Huertas, iPremom is focused on advancing clinical validation and scaling access to MaiRa. The platform is currently available in Spain through iPremom’s laboratory, and the funding will support its commercial launch, the completion of validation studies, and regulatory approvals in the EU and US.

Professor Carlos Simón, Co-Founder and Chairman of iPremom, said: “Pregnancy complications have been under-diagnosed and under-treated for generations, because the field was looking in the wrong place at the wrong time. Our ambition is not just to build a better preeclampsia test, it is to give every pregnant woman a comprehensive, early molecular picture of her pregnancy. This funding is a critical step toward making that a clinical reality.”

Pierre Socha, Partner at Amadeus Capital Partners, said: “We are delighted to partner again with Prof. Simón, after the success of Igenomix which transformed IVF genetics. iPremom is poised to do the same for prenatal care, an even larger market opportunity. By predicting risk from the first weeks of pregnancy based on a simple blood test, it will inform and prepare millions of expecting couples, arm clinicians with unparalleled insights for targeted intervention, and give every baby the best possible start in life. We are proud to be leading this round.”

Guillem Masferrer, Partner at Asabys, said: “We are delighted to support iPremom and partner with Prof. Carlos Simón and his team. Asabys backs exceptional science-based Spanish companies and iPremom stands out through its unique combination of molecular diagnostics and AI, creating a highly differentiated platform, transforming pregnancy complications prediction and management. Women’s health remains one of the most important and underserved areas in healthcare, and we are proud to support iPremom’s mission to improve outcomes for women and families around the world.”

About iPremom

iPremom is a biotechnology company based in Paterna (Valencia, Spain) dedicated to the early prediction and prevention of pregnancy complications through molecular diagnostics and AI-based predictive models. The company’s mission is to transform prenatal care by enabling early, molecular-based risk prediction across multiple pregnancy complications, starting with preeclampsia. Follow us on LinkedIn.

About Amadeus Capital Partners

A trailblazer for three decades, we invest in people who create transformational technologies and sustainable businesses. We back early stage and growth companies from our locations in Cambridge, London, Oxford, and San Francisco, and with our DACH partners APEX Ventures. Find out more here and follow us on LinkedIn and X.

About Asabys Partners

Asabys Partners is a Barcelona-based venture capital firm focused on innovation in healthcare and life sciences. With over €400 million in AUM and 24 portfolio companies, Asabys is supported by Alantra and backed by Banc Sabadell as anchor investor. This operation is supported by the European Union under the InvestEU Fund, through the European Investment Fund (EIF). Find out more here and follow us on LinkedIn and X.

About APEX Ventures

APEX Ventures is a European venture capital firm focusing on early-stage deep tech companies. The team acts as hands-on investors with a mission to support the most talented startup teams in building global market leaders.  In early 2023, APEX Ventures launched the Amadeus APEX Technology Fund together with Amadeus Capital Partners to invest in sectors that include next-gen computing, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, space, medical technologies, energy, and other emerging deep tech areas. The fund invests in Seed and Series A ventures with innovative technology and engineering based on significant scientific advances. www.apex.ventures

[1] Trends in Maternal Mortality 2000-2023: Estimates by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and UNDESA/Population Division | United Nations Population Fund

[1] The future at risk: Tackling newborn and child mortality amidst a global health crisis – PMC

[1] Neonatal mortality – UNICEF DATA

[1] Preeclampsia And Maternal Mortality: A Global Burden