In 2020, MedTech pioneers Youssef Bouyakhf and Saad Slimani, MD, MS, founded Deepecho with an ambitious goal: to revolutionize fetal ultrasound using artificial intelligence. Fast forward to 2025, and the company’s groundbreaking work has earned it numerous awards, including the Cure Xchange Challenge in 2024, and notable peer-reviewed publications.
These recognitions underscore Deepecho’s potential to transform the landscape of maternal healthcare globally, particularly in underserved regions. Cure caught up with Slimani to hear about Deepecho’s recent progress and the insights he’s gained in the last year.
Deepecho is Breaking Barriers in Fetal Ultrasound
Deepecho achieved world-first results in fetal biometry and the quantification of amniotic fluid volume (AFV) by using its proprietary deep-learning models, with precision that rivaled the expertise of trained sonographers.
The study, published in Nature Communications, highlighted how their models demonstrated superior consistency compared to human operators for key ultrasound tasks. The models enable Deepecho’s tools, which are now poised to make fetal ultrasound accessible in low-resource environments, aligning with the company’s mission to reduce fetal and maternal mortality worldwide.
Ultrasound—a cost-effective, non-invasive imaging method—has reduced fetal mortality by up to 20 percent. However, access to skilled sonographers remains a significant barrier in developing regions and even in parts of the United States, where maternal mortality rates—especially among African American women—are alarmingly high.
Deepecho’s technology is designed to address this healthcare access challenge head-on by enabling minimally trained clinicians to perform accurate fetal assessments.
Addressing Critical Healthcare Needs for Maternal Health
Deepecho demonstrated in a first-of-its-kind clinical study that minimally trained operators using the company’s AI-driven tools could successfully screen for preeclampsia, a complication of pregnancy involving high blood pressure and high protein levels in the urine that could indicate organ damage.
Slimani noted these results, presented at The Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention (MICCAI) 2024 annual meeting, highlight that democratizing access to critical maternal health diagnostics holds promise for impacting clinical care.
Preeclampsia disproportionately affects African American women, who are three times more likely to suffer from hypertensive pregnancy disorders. By making ultrasound screening affordable and accessible, Deepecho aims to bridge this gap and reduce preventable deaths.
“The impact could be enormous,” said Slimani. “Our technology may allow obstetricians to focus on high-risk cases, enabling them to see 10 times more patients in a week.”
Deepecho Pioneers Healthcare in the Global South
Deepecho’s commitment to the Global South extends beyond technological innovation. The company has built one of the largest datasets of African fetal ultrasound images. This resource enables Deepecho to train its models with data reflecting local populations.
“AI breakthroughs should not simply be imported from the Global North,” Slimani said. “They must be developed responsibly, with an understanding of local constraints.”
This approach has not gone unnoticed. For example, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, awarded Deepecho a grant to support African health innovators seeking to optimize supply chains, improve access to medicines and advance towards universal health coverage.
What Winning the Cure Xchange Challenge Means for Deepecho
For Slimani, selection as one of the Cure Xchange Challenge winners, signifies more than a milestone. It’s a testament to his team’s hard work, resilience, and vision, and it was deeply personal.
“As an innovator from the Global South, we often feel we need to work harder and faster to gain recognition,” he said. “This award validates the work we’ve been doing over the past four years and provides invaluable motivation for the next steps.”
The recognition from Cure yielded tangible benefits. Beyond visibility, it offers access to an ecosystem of health-focused innovators and mentors. “This mentorship transformed how we approach our company’s strategy,” said Slimani.
Additionally, the close proximity to Rosh Maternal & Fetal Medicine—a clinical partner based in New York City—facilitated direct feedback and collaboration.
Slimani noted these partnerships are crucial as Deepecho advances on its plan for a FDA 510(k) submission for regulatory clearance, representing a significant milestone in the journey to market readiness.
Deepecho Looks Ahead
As Deepecho prepares for the year ahead, its goals are clear: securing FDA alignment to bring its device to market and continuing to advance global health initiatives.
The company is also exploring a bold vision of enabling self-administered ultrasound scans, where AI analyzes video data to detect high-risk conditions. This innovation could prove invaluable in medical deserts, both in the Global South and in rural areas of industrialized countries.
“Our mission isn’t just to innovate,” he said. “It’s to ensure our technology makes a real difference in people’s lives. We want to ensure that no mother or child’s life is lost due to lack of access to basic healthcare tools. That is our ultimate goal.”