Meet our team
Cédric JAVAULT
Chief Executive Officer
After a solid education in engineering (Ecole Polytechnique + Corps des Mines), Cédric became head of division for the French Nuclear Safety Authority before embracing the world of entrepreneurship. He spent more than 15 years as President of the Telligo group, which he founded, and which he turned into France’s #2 children’s holiday company (turnover €35m - 300 employees - €4m raised in 2008 - 5 competitors bought out – sold in 2017 to UCPA). After the sale of Telligo, Cédric wanted to go in a completely different direction and become an AI expert. He happily went back to school, devoting two more full years to furthering his knowledge in math and building up expertise in coding; he obtained his Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence Magna Cum Laude in October 2021.
Simon Jiafeng LI
Chief Business Officer
Simon is a Deeptech entrepreneur with a track record of founding and scaling innovative companies. He is the founder of Gensor, a Medtech company pioneering virus-testing biosensors utilizing gene FET technology. Previously, Simon served as CMO at Wellbots, a New York-based e-commerce company, and gained experience in corporate strategy and investment with Amadeus and Axel Springer. He also brings expertise in PE and VC from his time at AfricInvest. His Deeptech commercialization and venture capital background is supported by a Master in Management from ESCP Business School and specialized study in the healthcare MBA program at the University of Minnesota. His global experience spans France, the U.S., China, the U.K., Germany, Israel, Japan, North Africa, and Sweden, offering him a broad perspective on innovation and entrepreneurship.
Fabien ORSAT
Chief Technical Officer
A lifelong software design enthusiast, Fabien graduated from Mines Paris PSL in 2006, in Information Systems Management. After a few years in a large IT company, he took over the running of Telligo’s computer systems and finally started his own business. He then created the oenology web app Sommelix, and worked as a consultant, sometimes as CTO, sometimes in change management. He has a strong interest in both technical and functional design, but he also really enjoys coding himself.
Pr. Eric THOUVENOT
Neurologist, Stroke Expert
Eric is an internationally-renowned researcher and a very committed doctor. He is both a former student of Normal'Sup Rue d'Ulm, a Doctor of Science and a Doctor of Medicine, specializing in neurology. A university lecturer and a hospital practitioner, he runs the neurology department at the university hospital (CHU) in Nîmes. He is also a researcher at France’s national scientific research center, the CNRS, and has a post-doctoral degree authorizing him to supervise PhD studies. He has published more than 240 research articles, most often in his specialist field, Multiple Sclerosis. Until recently, he was the president of the Société Francophone de la Sclérose en Plaques (the French speaking MS society) of which he is still an administrator.
Lionel PIBRE, PhD
Senior Engineer in AI
Lionel obtained his PhD in Computer Science in 2018 at the University of Montpellier, as part of the ICAR team of LIRMM. Specializing in machine learning and more specifically in AI, he then held two post-doctoral positions: The first at the University of Toulouse Paul Sabatier, at IRIT, during which he worked on the LinTO project (designing an intelligent meeting assistant). This position allowed him to work more specifically on analyzing audio and video data. The second at the University of Montpellier Paul Valéry, as part of UMR TETIS, where he contributed to the ADELE2020 project, developing a tool for the segmentation of the seabed in shallow depths using SONAR and bathymetry.
Félix YRIARTE
AI Engineer
A graduate with a Master’s in Computer Science specializing in image processing and artificial intelligence from the University of Montpellier in 2022, Félix first turned to the world of academic research. He worked on various projects related to multimedia security (in the LIRMM, CRIStAL, and LIRIS laboratories), as well as on AI in civil engineering, including automated methods for detecting anomalies on building facades (at the CRIStAL laboratory). Wanting to be more involved in the industrial world and to work on innovative and concrete projects, Félix joined AI-Stroke as an AI engineer in March 2024.
Neila BOUTENOUNE
Quality Manager
Neila is currently in her second year of a Master's program (M2) in Health Engineering, specializing in Medical Devices from Design to Commercialization (DMCC), at the Faculty of Pharmacy in Montpellier. During her apprenticeship at AI-Stroke, she is involved in the implementation, deployment, and monitoring of the Quality Management System. She drafts quality procedures, ensures their relevance and proper adoption by the development teams, and verifies compliance with requirements, particularly in software-related matters.
Our Scientific Advisory Board
Pr. Gary FORD
Consultant Stroke Physician at
Oxford University Hospitals
Professor Gary Ford is a Consultant Stroke Physician at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Professor of Stroke Medicine at Oxford University. He has been involved in many service innovations in UK stroke care in the last 30 years, including developing the first thrombolysis protocol for acute stroke in England and the Face Arm Speech Test (FAST). Gary was Director of the National Institute for Health Research Stroke (NIHR) Research Network from 2005-2014. He was awarded a CBE in 2013 for services to research in stroke medicine. He was a member of the NIHR Strategy Board from 2011-2023. He has been a non-executive director on the Board of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence since 2021. In 2018, Gary was identified as one of seven NIHR research legends whose work has transformed care in the NHS. He has published over 300 papers in the field of stroke and cardiovascular disease. His H index is 92.
Gregory W Albers, MD
Director, Stanford Stroke Center
Co-founder of RapidAI
Dr. Gregory W. Albers is the director of the Stanford Stroke Center, a position he has held since co-founding the center in 1992. A world leader in stroke research and treatment, the Stanford Stroke Center has pioneered major advances in medical therapies and consistently ranks among the most prolific research groups in the United States. Dr. Albers’ primary research focus is the diagnosis, management, and prevention of ischemic stroke. Dr. Albers and his team use advanced imaging technology to expand the treatment window for ischemic stroke, thereby improving patient health and quality of life outcomes. Dr. Albers conducts clinical studies of treatments for acute stroke, including both thrombolytic strategies (which dissolve blood clots) and neuroprotective strategies (which seek to limit neuronal damage). He also investigates new antithrombotic strategies for stroke prevention. Dr. Albers was instrumental in the development of medical software, RAPID, that interprets patient brain scans and helps clinicians decide on appropriate treatments for ischemic stroke. A prolific and distinguished researcher, Dr. Albers has authored more than 800 articles on topics related to cerebrovascular disease in peer-reviewed journals.
Sean I. Savitz, MD
Director of the Institute for Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease at the UTHealth
Sean I. Savitz, MD, is a Professor of Neurology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the Frank M. Yatsu Chair, and Director of the Institute for Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston (UTHealth). He graduated from Harvard College, received his MD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and completed neurology residency training and a cerebrovascular fellowship at the Harvard Medical School Neurology Training Program. With over 40 participating faculty, the UTHealth Stroke Institute’s mission is to develop novel treatments and health care delivery models for patients with ischemic stroke and brain hemorrhage. He has 10 years’ experience leading comprehensive stroke centers of care and served as medical director for the first certified integrated system of stroke centers in the US. Dr. Savitz’s research focuses on stroke recovery, rehabilitation, and the application of stem cells as an innovative treatment for stroke. He also oversees an NIH-funded fellowship program to train stroke specialists and has won several teaching awards in Boston and Houston. He has been funded by grants from the National Institute of Health, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the American Heart Association, and is an author of over 300 publications in the biomedical literature.
Dr. Pankajavalli Ramakrishnan, MD, PhD
Associate Director of Stroke & Neurointervention at Westchester Medical Center Health Network
Dr. Pankajavalli Ramakrishnan, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist and neurointervention specialist whose work integrates clinical neuroscience, technology innovation, and health systems design to improve outcomes in stroke and cerebrovascular care. With dual expertise in acute stroke intervention and translational research, she brings a deep understanding of how innovation can bridge clinical need and real-world implementation. Dr. Ramakrishnan has led multidisciplinary initiatives advancing stroke systems of care, neurointervention, and data-driven quality improvement across diverse healthcare settings. Her research and advocacy focus on innovation, equitable access to thrombectomy, and scalable solutions for global stroke care, aligning closely with the mission of startups transforming healthcare delivery through technology. As a clinician, educator, and systems thinker, Dr. Ramakrishnan advises on strategies that connect clinical insight, workflow optimization, and regulatory perspective to product development and deployment. She is passionate about guiding innovations that enhance decision support, emergency coordination, and neurovascular imaging analytics, ensuring they translate into measurable impact for patients and providers. On the Advisory Board, Dr. Ramakrishnan brings a unique combination of clinical credibility, translational acumen, and strategic foresight, helping the company advance evidence-based, scalable solutions that redefine how stroke and neurovascular care are delivered worldwide.
Pr. Guillaume TURC
Secretary General of European Stroke Organization Paris, France
Professor of Neurology at Saint-Anne Hospital in Paris. Director of the INSERM Unit 1266 dedicated to stroke research. President of the ESO Guideline Board. ESO Scientific Excellence Award 2022. 191 publications and 10,428 citations.
Pr. Thanh NGUYEN
President of Society of Vascular and
Interventional Neurology Boston, USA
Director of Interventional Neurology/Neuroradiology at Boston Medical Center. Professor of Neurology, Radiology, and Neurosurgery at Boston University School of Medicine. Top Doctor in Neurology 2017-2023 (Boston Magazine). 724 publications and 11,395 citations.
Marc CHAUMONT, PhD
Team Leader ICAR at LIRMM / CNRS Montpellier, France
Associate Professor at LIRMM Montpellier (CNRS), AI Expert. International expert in steganography and image/video processing, IEEE Senior Member. Recipient of the Top 3% Reviewer Award at ICIP 2020. 173 publications and 2,658 citations.
Juha PAJULA PhD
Senior Research Scientist VTT,
Finlande
Senior Researcher at VTT (Finland) specialized in computer science and AI. Expert in medical image processing and analysis. 38 publications and 472 citations.
Dr. Mohamad ABDALKADER
Associate Professor of Radiology, Boston, USA
Research Program Director in Interventional Neuroradiology. Expert physician at the Department of Radiology, Boston Medical Center. Associate Editor at the Journal of Neuroradiology. 258 publications and 2,754 citations.
Aysen DEGERLI PhD
Research Scientist VTT,
Finlande
Lead author of MAMAF-Net: Motion-Aware and Multi-Attention Fusion Network for Stroke Diagnosis, a reference in AI-based stroke detection. Honorable mention for the 2022 Technical Creativity Award by the city of Tampere for her advanced disease detection algorithms. 35 publications and 482 citations.
Our advisors
Mike FINCH
Senior Commercial Advisor
Dr. Finch is a recognized expert in the United States on healthcare costs, quality, and financing. He has served as a faculty member in Health Services Research at the University of Minnesota and was Director of Research Programs at UnitedHealth Group. He is currently an Executive in Residence at the Carlson School of Management. As a key mentor at the MILI Valuation Lab, he has advised over 100 healthcare innovation projects in the past decade.
Susan ALPERT
Senior Regulatory Advisor
Dr. Alpert is an expert in international regulatory strategy for medical devices and other health products. She worked at the US Food & Drug Administration from 1987 to 2000, where she held various leadership positions in the drug, medical device, and radiological health sectors. She served as the Director of the Device Evaluation Office from 1993 to 1999.​ She was also Senior Vice President of Global Regulatory Affairs at Medtronic, Inc.