BRUSSELS, LUXEMBOURG, AND HAMBURG, 18th October, 2023 – Nesto, a network of veterinary practices active in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany, announced today that it is combining with German veterinary group, Veternicum. The combined network will grow to over 50 clinics by the end of this year, with over 20 of those located in Germany. Also today, Nesto announced that it is entering into a long-term partnership with Verlinvest, as the Belgium-based, family-backed evergreen investment company has acquired a stake in Rigel, the financing partner of Nesto Belgium and holding company of the international Nesto subsidiaries in Luxemburg and Germany.
The partnership between Nesto and Veternicum will enable the network to accelerate growth across Europe, further enhancing the high level of customer centricity, quality of pet care, and attractive work environment for their veterinary professionals.
Nesto’s Medical Director & Co-Founder Johan van Ommen said, “With Veternicum joining the network, we create an even stronger community to provide pet parents with excellent clinical care and our vet professionals with the best possible workplaces. We look forward to exchanging knowledge and best practices across borders.”
“The project we have co-created for Nesto and Veternicum is truly exciting”, added Georg Tünsmeyer, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Veternicum. “The focus of the combined group is to empower veterinary professionals in the best possible way, building a business with a long-term perspective and anchored in the quality of care it provides.”
Both Nesto and Veternicum have been successful so far through their localized offering, strong network of excellent veterinary professionals, reputation for high quality of care, and differentiated value proposition towards vet partners. The group is committed to supporting vets by eliminating the administrative burden, providing appropriate clinical autonomy to the local clinics, investing in innovation and state-of-the art infrastructure, and offering attractive long-term career development opportunities for vets and nurses in the community.
The group will leverage Verlinvest’s support and experience in building successful platforms across Europe to execute an ambitious development plan over the coming years. This new partnership is part of Verlinvest’s investment strategy in both the petcare and healthcare services markets. Verlinvest has previously backed several successful businesses in adjacent sectors, including specialized pet retailer Tom & Co which is active in Belgium and France, and Italian dental clinic chain, Bludental.
Paul Huyghe, Co-Founder and CEO of the group said, “We are thrilled to be partnering with the team at Verlinvest, who share our values and believe in our mission of providing high quality, professional vet services for pets and pet parents alike. They have a proven track record in building pan-European companies that consumers and employees love, through their deep sector and operational expertise.”
“We are delighted to partner with Paul, Johan, Georg and their colleagues to grow this platform across Europe and continue to push up the quality of care it provides and the opportunities it creates for the vet professionals in its network,” says Roberto Italia, CEO of Verlinvest. “Given the attractive size and growth prospects of the European veterinary services market, we see significant opportunity ahead to support Nesto and Veternicum through their next period of growth.”
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About Nesto & Veternicum
Nesto was founded in January 2019 with the integration of Orion, a highly specialized 2nd line referral clinic and a recognized “pet hospital” with 24/7 service, that serves as a reference and training ground for the network. The founding team includes CEO Paul Huyghe and Medical Director Johan Van Ommen, the original founder of Orion.
Veternicum was founded in 2019 and is led by Founder and CEO Georg Tünsmeyer and Head of M&A Jan Oestmann. The company has been expanding across Northern and Southern Germany, with headquarters in Hamburg.
The combined network will grow to over 50 clinics by the end of this year across Belgium, Luxemburg and Germany, with over 20 of those located in Germany.
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