A French health insurer worth billions has bought a small startup from Dakar. It is a rare exit for African healthtech, and it shows where global money may head next.
Alan, the French digital health insurer backed by football star Kylian Mbappé, has acquired Tanel, a Senegalese digital health coverage firm. It is Alan’s first acquisition in Africa, and it gives Alan a foothold in French-speaking West Africa. The price was not disclosed. The deal also gives an exit to early backers, including Nigeria-based Ventures Platform and Japan’s AAIC Investment. Alan announced the deal on 2 September 2026.
Tanel was founded in 2021 by Mouhamed Ndoye and Makhtar Diop. It works in Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire and builds tools that help companies manage health cover for their staff. It covers about 70,000 people across more than 400 firms, with clients such as ride-hailing platform Yango and the fast-food chain KFC. It also links users to a network of over 1,200 pharmacies and care providers. Tanel was valued at $7.5 million in a 2024 round, according to the reports behind this story.
Alan is far bigger. It was founded in 2016 and serves more than 1 million members in France, Spain, Belgium and Canada. Its clients include Volkswagen Spain and France’s finance ministry. It has reported a valuation of €5.5 billion and annual recurring revenue above €800 million, though it still runs at a loss. Backers include Index Ventures, Prosus and Mbappé, who joined as an investor and ambassador. Alan had already invested in Tanel’s 2024 seed round, so the two firms knew each other well.
| Alan | Tanel | |
|---|---|---|
| Base | France. | Dakar, Senegal. |
| Founded | 2016. | 2021. |
| Reach | Over 1 million members. | About 70,000 people. |
| Markets | France, Spain, Belgium, Canada. | Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire. |
Why sell now? Ndoye said Tanel first planned to raise a Series A earlier this year. But talks with Alan changed his mind. “That was actually our initial plan earlier this year,” he said. “But as we were discussing with Alan, we realised that it was a great opportunity to join forces because Alan has evolved beyond just health insurance.” Alan’s chief executive, Jean-Charles Samuelian-Werve, said the two teams had known each other for about 18 months. “The compatibility of our approaches made this a natural fit,” he said. He added that technology can deliver health cover at scale, but only when paired with teams that understand their markets.
The plan is to keep the Tanel team in place. Ndoye and Diop stay on to lead operations. Their next job is to add telehealth and preventive care and to grow into English-speaking markets in West and East Africa. Alan and Tanel say they aim to reach more than 1 million people across Africa by 2030. Alan says the health insurance market in Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire is worth about €600 million and grows about 10% a year. That is Alan’s own estimate. Alan has also said it will grow through its own efforts and through more acquisitions.
The deal fits a wider pattern. European footballers, many of African descent, are putting money into startups in French-speaking Africa, according to the report behind this story. Aurélien Tchouaméni, Jules Koundé and Mike Maignan backed Dakar-based LAfricaMobile. Édouard Mendy invested in Julaya in Côte d’Ivoire. Wilfred Ndidi backed Nigeria’s Fanbants, and Jeremie Frimpong backed Ghana’s Remoteli.
Why it matters: Exits are rare in African startups, and healthtech exits are rarer still. Investors want to see money come back, and a sale like this proves it can happen. It also shows that a startup does not have to raise a Series A to grow. Tanel chose to join a larger firm with deeper pockets and a bigger platform. For founders, the lesson is to build a business a strategic buyer wants, and to keep those conversations open early.
What to watch next: the price, if either side shares it, and whether Tanel is renamed or keeps its brand. Also watch the move into English-speaking markets, and whether more global insurers and sports figures follow Alan into African healthtech.
Sources: Report on Alan’s acquisition of Tanel, 2 September 2026; Alan on its acquisition of Tanel; Ecofin Agency on the Alan and Tanel deal; Africa Private Equity News on the Ventures Platform and AAIC exit.
A note for startup founders: Don’t practice on investors. Practice on AI first. RaiseReady by Index Prima is an AI fundraising simulator for African founders: upload your pitch deck, get a readiness score and face a tough AI investor before the real meeting. Find this post, and every post we publish, at raiseready.indexprima.com.
