Gilles Wainrib co-founded Owkin in Paris in 2016. His training is a PhD in artificial intelligence applied to biology. His co-founder Thomas Clozel is a medical doctor who trained in Paris and New York.
The pairing shaped the product. Health data is hard to move because of privacy law. Owkin trains models across hospitals without moving identifiable patient data, an approach called federated learning that was rare in healthcare when the company began.
The company raised an $11 million Series A in 2018. In November 2021 Sanofi invested $180 million, which valued Owkin at over $1 billion. Other backers include Bpifrance, Google Ventures and Cathay Innovation.
In 2022 Owkin received CE-IVD marking for two cancer diagnostics. In 2024 its partnership with AP-HP, the Paris hospital network, was renewed for five years.