Almost a decade after its launch, Doctolib has topped the ranks of French unicorn startups. A “well-earned” achievement applauded by French Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire himself. France’s number one eHealth firm announced on March 15, 2022, that it has secured €500 million in equity and debt funding from Eurazeo and Bpifrance. Doctolib is now valued at €5.8 billion. The €500 million will be used to more than double the current staff (2,500 people) in the key markets of Europe’s leading provider of appointment booking and remote consultation systems: France, Germany, and Italy. 3,500 people will be recruited over the next five years. This year, Doctolib is also putting the finishing touches to several software packages aimed at doctors, nurses, private practice physical therapists, and hospitals. Other projects involving a secure instant messaging system, the exchange of medical documents, and electronic prescriptions are running in parallel. “Every euro we make is reinvested back into the business,” says Stanislas Niox-Chateau, CEO of Doctolib. However, he hopes that the firm will soon be turning a profit, “by 2024 or 2025”.
“The amount reflects the confidence that our long-standing partners have in our team, our mission, our people-centered approach, our business model (which relies exclusively on health professionals subscribing to our services), Doctolib’s future, and the value we can bring to patients and carers over the next ten years,” says Stanislas Niox-Chateau, CEO of Doctolib.
At present, 60 million people across Europe are using Doctolib to book their medical appointments and remotely consult the 300,000 healthcare professionals registered in the system. The startup’s growth has been bolstered by the Covid crisis, which has democratized online appointment booking and remote consulting, especially since Doctolib became the official platform in France for arranging screening tests or vaccinations either at a dedicated center or an approved healthcare practitioner’s. Doctolib had previously raised €400 million. Its last fundraising round was in 2019 when it secured €150 million. It is now therefore the number one French tech firm ahead of Back Market and Qonto.
