Southwood

Medical Ultrasound Imaging Devicessouthwood.co.jp

Southwood is a Japanese medical AI company that distributes Butterfly iQ3™ portable ultrasound devices as sole authorized distributor in Japan and develops proprietary ultrasound image display software for AI-assisted diagnostics, serving hospitals, clinics, and regional healthcare providers.

Company typePrivate
Founded2023
HeadquartersTokushima, Japan
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

Southwood firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Southwood
Legal name: Southwood Inc.
Website: https://southwood.co.jp
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2023
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: Southwood is a Japanese medical AI company that distributes Butterfly iQ3™ portable ultrasound devices as sole authorized distributor in Japan and develops proprietary ultrasound image display software for AI-assisted diagnostics, serving hospitals, clinics, and regional healthcare providers.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Southwood industry classification

Industry

Product category: Medical Ultrasound Imaging Devices
NAICS: Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)
SIC: Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)
akta.pro industry: PRIMARYHLAHABAD
Ultrasound & Echography Systems
Healthcare & Life Sciences/Medical Devices & Diagnostics/Medical Imaging & Radiology Equipment
SECONDARYHLAFAKAC
Mobile Imaging Services
Healthcare & Life Sciences/Healthcare Providers & Systems/Diagnostic & Imaging Centers

Keywords

Portable ultrasound devices
Medical AI software
Ultrasound diagnostics
Point-of-care imaging
Medical device distribution

Where Southwood is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Tokushima
HQ country: Japan
HQ region: Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

Southwood business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Portable Ultrasound Device Sales: Sale of Butterfly iQ3™ portable ultrasound systems as the sole authorized distributor in Japan. Revenue generated from hardware sales to medical institutions.
Ultrasound Image Display Software 'Southwood': Sale and distribution of proprietary ultrasound image display software. Certified medical device generating recurring software revenue.
Training and Educational Services: Hosting study sessions, hands-on training workshops, and educational programs at medical institutions (e.g., Okayama University) to drive product adoption and build clinical expertise.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Other	Multi-year contract	Enterprise medical device pricing - quote-based

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Southwood product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Southwood distributes the Butterfly iQ3™ portable ultrasound diagnostic device as the sole authorized distributor in Japan, and develops its own proprietary 'Ultrasound Image Display Software Southwood' certified as a Designated Specially Controlled Medical Device. The combination enables AI-assisted point-of-care ultrasound imaging and remote specialist connectivity for hospitals, clinics, and medical institutions.

Product overview

Southwood is a medical AI company focused on ultrasound diagnostics. The company operates two core offerings: (1) the Butterfly iQ3™ portable ultrasound device, distributed as the sole authorized distributor in Japan, and (2) their proprietary Ultrasound Image Display Software 'Southwood'. Both products work together to enable AI-assisted ultrasound diagnostics, with the software providing image display capabilities for the ultrasound hardware. The company aims to make ultrasound diagnostics more accessible, particularly for remote areas and underserved medical facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Butterfly iQ3™ Portable ultrasound diagnostic device manufactured by Butterfly Network, Inc. (U.S.), distributed by Southwood as sole authorized distributor in Japan. Designed for external ultrasound imaging for clinical diagnostic purposes; for prescription use only by licensed medical professionals.
Ultrasound Image Display Software 'Southwood' Proprietary ultrasound image display software developed by Southwood Inc., certified as a Designated Specially Controlled Medical Device (Certification Number: 308ACBZX00005000) for AI-assisted ultrasound diagnostics integration into healthcare. Functions as the display and analysis software layer for the Butterfly iQ3™ portable ultrasound system.

Quantifiable outcome

First remote echocardiography pilot study in Japan connecting University of the Ryukyus Hospital and Okinawa Prefectural Yaeyama Hospital in real-time
+1 more outcomes

Companies that use Southwood

Customer profile

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Southwood technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Southwood partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

BSI Group Japan K.K.minorOthers · 30 March 2026Certification body for ISO 13485:2016 quality management system certification. Provided third-party audit and certification services for Southwood's medical device handling operations.
University of the Ryukyus HospitalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2026Participated in Japan's first remote echocardiography pilot study using Butterfly iQ3™. Connected in real-time with Okinawa Prefectural Yaeyama Hospital for remote diagnosis demonstration. A specialist provided guidance while viewing ultrasound images captured remotely.
Okinawa Prefectural Yaeyama HospitalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2026Participated in Japan's first remote echocardiography pilot study using Butterfly iQ3™. Connected in real-time with University of the Ryukyus Hospital for remote diagnosis demonstration. Represents remote island healthcare setting where specialist access is challenging.
Okayama UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 January 2026Hosted a study session using Butterfly iQ3™ at Okayama University's Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The workshop was part of the Regional Healthcare Personnel Development Course (endowed program by Okayama Prefecture) and focused on training for major scan areas including heart and abdomen through simulated clinical scenarios.
Butterfly Network, Inc. (USA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 September 2025Butterfly Network, Inc. is the U.S. manufacturer of the Butterfly iQ3™ portable ultrasound diagnostic device. Southwood serves as the sole authorized distributor in Japan, responsible for sales, marketing, and distribution of the device in the Japanese market. Butterfly iQ3™ is the first portable ultrasound system to receive medical device certification in Japan.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Southwood competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

Canon Medical Systems: Japan-headquartered medical imaging incumbent with a full ultrasound portfolio and dominant hospital relationships. Competes in the same Japanese ultrasound market with broader modality offerings and entrenched installed base.
Fujifilm Healthcare: Major Japanese medical imaging company offering ultrasound, PACS, and enterprise imaging solutions. Comparable on ultrasound product and Japanese enterprise sales motion, with broader portfolio.
Siemens Healthineers: Diversified medical imaging vendor with AI-enabled ultrasound systems (ACUSON family). Competes in the same Japanese enterprise procurement cycles, often bundled with other modalities.
GE HealthCare: Global leader in medical imaging including a comprehensive ultrasound portfolio (handheld to cart-based). Competes with Southwood for Japanese hospital budgets with established sales and service infrastructure.
Mindray: Chinese medical device major with a growing portable ultrasound line and expanding Japan presence. Comparable on portable/handheld ultrasound category, competes primarily on price-performance.
Philips Healthcare: Global ultrasound and patient monitoring incumbent with strong cardiology focus overlapping Southwood's remote echocardiography use case. Markets portable and AI-enabled ultrasound systems to Japanese hospitals.

Emerging players

EchoNous: U.S. company building AI-enabled handheld ultrasound (Kosmos platform) focused on cardiology. Direct overlap with Southwood's remote echocardiography and AI-assisted cardiac imaging use case.
HeartFlow: AI-driven cardiac imaging diagnostics company. Comparable on AI-imaging software for cardiology, though CT-based rather than ultrasound; provides a peer benchmark for clinical-AI commercialization models.
Clarius Mobile Health: Canadian maker of handheld wireless ultrasound scanners with an AI-assisted workflow. Closely comparable on portable ultrasound hardware category and clinician-focused AI features.

Direct peers

Butterfly Network: U.S. manufacturer of the Butterfly iQ3™ portable ultrasound system that Southwood exclusively distributes in Japan. Closely comparable product and technology, but operates as the OEM rather than a regional distributor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Southwood compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance3 records

Southwood financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Southwood leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Southwood funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Southwood M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southwood

What does Southwood do?

Is Southwood a public or private company?

Southwood is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was Southwood founded?

Southwood was founded in 2023. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is Southwood based?

Southwood is headquartered in Tokushima, Japan, in the Asia region.

How does Southwood make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Portable Ultrasound Device Sales are the primary driver. The others are ultrasound Image Display Software 'Southwood' and training and Educational Services.

Who are Southwood's main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are Canon Medical Systems, Fujifilm Healthcare, Siemens Healthineers, GE HealthCare, Mindray and Philips Healthcare. Emerging players are EchoNous, HeartFlow and Clarius Mobile Health. Butterfly Network is listed as a direct peer.

Does Southwood have an API?

No public API is recorded for Southwood.

What industry is Southwood in?

Southwood's product category is Medical Ultrasound Imaging Devices. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAHABAD, Ultrasound & Echography Systems, with a secondary code of HLAFAKAC, Mobile Imaging Services. Its NAICS code is 334510 and its SIC code is 3841.