A French startup that helps people find doctors just raised £13 million

A French startup called Doctolib has raised €18 million (£13 million) for its platform that aims to make it easier for doctors to schedule appointments with patients and vice versa.

The Series B funding round, led by the London team of venture capital firm Accel Partners, brings total investment in the company up to €23 million (£17 million).

Founded in October 2013 by Stanislas Niox-Chateau, Ivan Schneider and Jessy Bernal, Doctolib's cloud-based booking software is designed to help doctors manage bookings, find new patients, and reduce no-shows. It also allows users to browse doctors, see their real time availability, book an appointment, and manage their bookings.

The company's subscription-based platform is being touted at everyone from individual physicians right up to large hospitals. The company claims that its software can ultimately improve healthcare access for 500 million inhabitants across Europe.

Niox-Chateau said: "It's been exciting for us to see the appetite for our product in France over the last 18 months. This investment will help us continue to capitalise on our strong growth as we take our solution to new countries across Europe."

Accel partner Philippe Botteri will join the Doctolib board.

"They have managed to develop a superior product loved by doctors and their impressive growth is a testament of their operation strength and unique culture. They are helping doctors join the digital and cloud revolution."

Doctolib has also raised money from several French entrepreneurs including Bertrand Jelensperger, Antoine Freysz, Olivier Occelli, Maxime Forgeot, Pierre Kosciusko-Morizet, and Pierre Krings.