French health tech unicorn Alan, backed by tech investor Prosus and international football star Kylian Mbappé, has officially expanded into West Africa by acquiring Senegalese health insurer Tanel.
The strategic buyout comes shortly after Alan raised €580 million this year, elevating its corporate valuation to €5.5 billion. While the precise financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed, the acquisition utilizes Alan’s newly bolstered cash pile to extend its geographical footprint beyond its core markets in France, Spain, Belgium, and Canada.
The acquisition represents a logical evolution of a pre-existing partnership, as Alan had previously backed Tanel during its seed funding phase when the African startup was valued at $7.5 million in 2024. Tanel currently serves approximately 70,000 members across Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, managing corporate clients such as KFC and ride-hailing app Yango. For early-stage venture backers like Nigeria’s Ventures Platform and Japan’s healthcare-focused AAIC, the deal marks a rare and notable healthcare exit within the African startup ecosystem.
Alan’s Chief Executive Officer, Jean-Charles Samuelian-Werve, revealed that eighteen months of close interaction and operational compatibility with Tanel convinced his team that the Dakar-based firm was the ideal launchpad for continental expansion.
Although Alan boasts €840 million in annual recurring revenue and over one million total members, it remains lossmaking and views international growth as crucial for long-term scale. Joining forces allows Alan to deploy its comprehensive digital health platform across emerging markets with high growth potential.
According to Tanel’s Chief Executive Officer, Mouhamed Ndoye, the acquisition emerged naturally while Tanel was preparing to raise its Series A funding round. Both executive teams realized that merging operations would deliver greater long-term value than independent fundraising, particularly given Alan’s evolution beyond traditional health insurance into broader digital healthcare services. Rebranding under the Alan umbrella, Tanel will maintain its existing leadership team to guide immediate operations and lay the groundwork for future market entries into English-speaking West and East Africa.
The acquisition highlights a growing trend of well-funded European tech firms tapping into Africa’s rapidly expanding corporate health and insurance markets. By pairing Alan’s technology stack, capital reserves, and high-profile backing with Tanel’s established local footprint, the combined entity aims to scale accessible corporate health coverage across the continent.
Moving forward, Ndoye and co-founder Makhtar Diop will drive the company’s regional vision, using West Africa as a springboard for broader pan-African growth.
