GenePlanet, a leading European genomics platform, has secured a strategic investment from specialist Healthtech investor Lauxera Capital Partners. This new partnership aims to accelerate the company's global expansion and product development. The deal also facilitates a partial, successful exit for existing investor BlackPeak Capital, which retains a significant stake in the Slovenian company.
A Track Record of Rapid Expansion
The investment follows a three-year period of exceptional growth for GenePlanet, which began with BlackPeak Capital's backing in 2023. During this time, the company more than doubled its global footprint, expanding from 24 to over 50 markets. This rapid scaling demonstrates a clear strategic vision and effective execution across Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
Key to this expansion were four strategic acquisitions, including the 2026 purchase of Hungarian firm New Era Genetics. These moves enhanced GenePlanet's technology, licenses, and talent base. The company also established a certified Pan-European laboratory platform with hubs in Croatia, Sweden, and Hungary to ensure rapid service delivery.
Lauxera Capital's Strategic Entry
The entry of Paris and San Francisco-based Lauxera Capital Partners marks a pivotal moment for GenePlanet's future ambitions. The specialist investor brings deep expertise in diagnostics and a proven record of scaling life sciences businesses. Their involvement is expected to provide critical access to high-value Western European and U.S. markets.
Victor Decrion, Managing Partner at Lauxera, expressed confidence in GenePlanet's model of combining scientific excellence with entrepreneurial drive. He believes such companies will build Europe's next-generation sequencing infrastructure. The partnership will focus on delivering the benefits of genomic-based personalized medicine to more patients across the continent.
Fueling Future Growth and Innovation
With the new capital, GenePlanet plans to pursue aggressive organic growth and further geographic expansion. The company will broaden its proprietary genetic testing portfolio, focusing on developing oncology and rare-disease panels. Founder Marko Bitenc stated that with this support, there is a "real chance to become a unicorn."
A significant part of the strategy involves fast-tracking regulatory approvals and securing reimbursement access in new territories. The company will also continue to seek bolt-on acquisitions to enter new markets and adjacent areas of genetic testing. This approach targets a full liquidity event for early investors within three to five years.
A Successful Partnership Continues
BlackPeak Capital's partial exit crystallizes the significant value created since its 2023 investment, validating its partnership model. Niklas Pichler of BlackPeak noted that their initial conviction in the founder-led company has been confirmed. The firm is pleased to remain a shareholder to support the next growth phase.
Pichler emphasized that Lauxera's specialist expertise and market access will be instrumental for GenePlanet's development. BlackPeak's continued involvement reflects its strong belief in the company's significant remaining potential. The new capital structure ensures robust support for GenePlanet's journey toward global leadership in diagnostics.
This strategic investment from Lauxera Capital Partners propels GenePlanet into a new chapter of its ambitious global journey. The transaction provides the necessary capital for expansion and validates the company's impressive growth trajectory. With a strengthened investor base, GenePlanet is well-positioned to become a dominant force in personalized medicine and advanced diagnostics worldwide.