Lauxera Capital Partners Invests in GenePlanet to Drive Global Diagnostics Expansion; BlackPeak Capital Partially Exits Following Three Years of Transformative Growth
- Following three years of exceptional growth – expanding from 24 to 50+ markets, completing four bolt-on acquisitions, building a certified Pan-European laboratory platform, and advancing next-generation genetic testing R&D – GenePlanet has attracted a new investor to fuel its next phase of global expansion.
- Lauxera Capital Partners, a specialist Healthtech investor based in Paris and San Francisco, joins GenePlanet’s shareholder base to accelerate its next growth phase, bringing deep diagnostics expertise and direct access to Western European and U.S. markets
- BlackPeak Capital partially realises its investment, crystallising part of the value created over three years of close partnership, while retaining a meaningful shareholding and continuing to support the founders in the next phase of growth and international expansion
GenePlanet, Europe’s leading genomics and laboratory platform delivering advanced genetic testing and next-generation sequencing (NGS) services worldwide, has secured a strategic investment from Lauxera Capital Partners, a specialist Healthtech investor with a strong track record in diagnostics and medical technology. Alongside the transaction, BlackPeak Capital, which has been GenePlanet’s growth partner since 2023, has partially exited its investment, crystallising part of the value created over three years of partnership, while remaining a committed shareholder as the company enters its next chapter of global growth.
When BlackPeak invested in 2023, GenePlanet was active in 24 countries and operated primarily as a fully integrated genetic-services provider, with a single centralised laboratory hub in Zagreb, Croatia, and a nascent line of proprietary tests. Over the following three years, the company’s global footprint more than doubled to more than 50 markets across Europe, Asia, Latin and Central America, and Africa. Four strategic bolt-on acquisitions were integrated, expanding GenePlanet’s technology, licences, geographic reach, and talent base. The Zagreb laboratory remains the company’s central hub, now part of a certified Pan-European laboratory platform that includes additional hubs in Sweden, and Hungary, enabling fast turnaround across continents.
The entry of Lauxera Capital Partners marks a pivotal step in GenePlanet’s ambition to become a global leader in advanced diagnostics, personalized healthcare, and oncology. Lauxera brings a proven playbook for scaling life sciences businesses, a strong network of industry experts and critical expertise in U.S. market entry. With Lauxera’s support, the company aims to broaden its proprietary genetic testing product portfolio into oncology and rare-disease panels, and to accelerate its expansion into high-value Western European and U.S. markets, including fast-tracking regulatory approvals and reimbursement access where applicable.
BlackPeak’s partial realisation reflects the successful execution of its minority-partner investment model – backing exceptional founders with strategic guidance and execution support while empowering them to lead. The firm’s continued shareholding reflects its conviction in GenePlanet’s trajectory and its commitment to participating in the next cycle of value creation alongside founder – Marko Bitenc, Lauxera, and the company’s other minority shareholders. The new capital structure is designed to support aggressive organic growth, continued geographic expansion, and further bolt-on acquisitions, particularly in new markets and adjacent areas of genetic testing, as GenePlanet targets a full liquidity event for early investors within three to five years.
Marko Bitenc, Founder, GenePlanet:
“Now there is a real chance to become a unicorn.”
Victor Decrion, Managing Partner at Lauxera Capital Partners:
“We believe Europe’s next generation of sequencing infrastructure will be built by companies like GenePlanet – ones that combine scientific excellence, business acumen, and entrepreneurial drive to deliver the benefits of genomic-based personalized medicine to patients across the continent.“
Niklas Pichler, Managing Partner at BlackPeak Capital:
“When we first invested in GenePlanet, we backed Marko’s conviction that a founder-led, product-driven genetics company from Central Europe could build a truly international platform. Three years later, that conviction has been validated: GenePlanet now operates across more than 50 markets, has completed four acquisitions, launched proprietary products, and built one of the leading genetic-testing laboratory platforms in the region.
Our partial realisation reflects the tangible value created to date, but the opportunity ahead remains significant. We are pleased to remain shareholders and continue supporting the company in its next phase of growth. Lauxera brings specialist healthcare expertise, diagnostics know-how, and market access that can help accelerate GenePlanet’s development in ways that are difficult to replicate.
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About GenePlanet
GenePlanet is a European genomics and laboratory platform delivering advanced genetic testing and next-generation sequencing (NGS) services worldwide. Over the past 18 years, the company has grown into one of the leading providers of clinical and preventive genomics solutions, now operating in more than 50 countries.
Driven by the expansion of its high-throughput NGS laboratory network and ongoing technological advancement, the company offers a comprehensive portfolio of clinical, research, and preventive genomic solutions, alongside fully integrated end-to-end NGS services for healthcare and research partners globally.
By connecting advanced technology, scientific expertise, and medical insight, GenePlanet enables informed clinical decision-making, personalized healthcare, and advanced disease prevention.
For more information, visit: https://www.geneplanet.com/
About Lauxera Capital Partners
Founded in 2020, Lauxera Capital Partners is an independent investment firm exclusively dedicated to Healthtech. Based in Paris and San Francisco, the firm is led by entrepreneurial company builders and seasoned investors. Lauxera manages more than $1bn in assets and supports 13 portfolio companies as a hands-on operational and financial partner.
Since its founding, Lauxera has championed investing for Impact in the pursuit of a more sustainable and effective healthcare system. Lauxera targets and tracks the positive impact of its portfolio companies on patients, providers, and healthcare systems.
For more information, visit: https://lauxera.com/
About BlackPeak Capital
BlackPeak Capital was established in 2014 and targets growth equity investments of €5-20 million in fast-growing companies in Southeast and Central Europe. BlackPeak’s Southeast Europe Growth Equity Funds focus on partnering with the region’s outstanding entrepreneurs who have the ambition to build world-class companies based on continued innovation, organic growth, and add-on acquisitions. BlackPeak Capital remains committed to making a significant positive economic, social, and environmental impact.
BlackPeak Southeast Europe Growth Equity Fund is backed by the European Investment Fund under the COSME (2014-2020) and JEREMIE programmes, the European Union under the Equity Facility for Growth programme, Invest BG, the EBRD, the IFC, and other European private institutional investors. This financing is made possible through financial backing of the European Union under the Equity Facility for Growth established under Regulation (EU) No 1287/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council establishing a Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and small and medium enterprises (COSME) (2014-2020).
For more information, visit: www.blackpeak-capital.com
CONTACT FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Lise de Courville
Head of Investor Relations & ESG, Lauxera Capital Partners
Email: [email protected]
Lyubomira Doncheva
Marketing Director, BlackPeak Capital
Email: [email protected]
