Doctolib acquires British startup Medicus Health to establish itself in the United Kingdom, its fifth European market. The French unicorn plans to invest more than £100 million there to take on incumbent players in medical software with its AI-powered tools.
Doctolib is opening a new chapter in its European expansion. The French unicorn specializing in medical appointment booking has acquired British startup Medicus Health to break into the UK general practitioner market, which has been dominated for more than two decades by the same duopoly. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The United Kingdom is the fifth country where Doctolib has set up shop, after France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. The French group has committed to investing "more than £100 million sterling" in the UK over the coming years and to "hiring 150 people," including to open a "research and development centre dedicated to innovation in primary care," says its CEO and co-founder Stanislas Niox-Chateau.
Medicus' current workforce of 25 "will double this year alone," he adds. The British startup has developed practice management software for general practitioners. In June 2025, it obtained validation of its product from NHS England, opening up a vast market currently held by the near-duopoly of Optum (a subsidiary of American health insurer UnitedHealth) and TPP. Its founder, Emile Axelrad, becomes, through this deal, head of Doctolib's UK office and a significant shareholder in the French unicorn.
A valuation of €3.6 billion
Doctolib will be able to "accelerate" Medicus' momentum "by bringing its European expertise and artificial intelligence solutions to simplify the daily lives of healthcare teams," the French scale-up explains. Originally launched as an appointment booking platform for doctors, Doctolib — which employs 3,000 people — has gradually expanded its scope to include practice management tools covering patient records, billing and electronic transmission to health insurance, in-consultation assistance and a telephone assistant.
In France, the company is making rapid inroads in these markets, challenging established heavyweights such as Cegedim and Compugroup Medical. Doctolib generated €422 million in revenues last year and reached profitability a few months ago, 12 years after its founding. Following a recent secondary market transaction, the company is valued at €3.6 billion, down from €5.8 billion at the time of its last fundraising round in 2022.
