Laurent Pelissier, Chairman and CEO, Clarius Mobile Health

I have spent my career in Ultrasound. 17 years ago I designed the first PC-based ultrasound research system and founded Ultrasonix. We became the leaders in ultrasound research interfaces, then expanded into point of care with programmable, software-based machines. Ultrasonix was acquired three years ago and I left to spend some time with family. After my break, I met with Dave Willis, a good friend who is an original Sonosite employee. Like many of us in this field (it’s a small world) we share a passion for ultrasound – the technology and its clinical applications. Sonosite had just been acquired by FujiFilm and Dave was considering retirement. Over dinner, we decided to use our ultrasound knowledge and experience to build something that can truly make a difference in healthcare. And that’s how Clarius was born in late 2014. We chose the name Clarius because it’s a combination of “Clear” and “Ultrasound”.  It also happens to be the name of a roman God of medicine.

In a short period, we have raised capital and assembled an incredible, experienced team that has been able to produce what we believe is the first viable personal ultrasound system. Clarius leverages our smartphones and tablets; it is completely wireless, and most importantly, it generates outstanding images. We have integrated advanced algorithms to ensure imaging parameters are automatically adjusted, removing the need for knobs usually found on traditional ultrasound systems. We make Clarius devices from scratch, from piezoelectric composite cutting, all the way to finished product testing, which gives us control over quality and performance.

As we leverage connectivity, we envision that training and competency, key components to using ultrasound, will be significantly improved, beyond what it is today.  I believe our accessible and affordable ultrasound solutions will make a difference in many ways:  bringing ultrasound inside ambulances to look at trauma sooner; enabling better women’s health in rural places; reducing infection rates during procedures and enabling physicians to solve health issues sooner.  We are just getting started and have endless ideas on building new tools to improve clinical outcomes.

It is a privilege to innovate products that can make a positive impact.  I hope that you will benefit from what we build, either as a user or a patient!