Impress's $43M Loan: The AI Orthodontics Bet Reshaping Europe

Jan de Vries · 2026-10-27

Impress, a Spanish digital orthodontics network, just signed a €40 million venture debt loan with the European Investment Bank (EIB). That's roughly $43 million at current exchange rates. The money will scale up its AI platform across a network of more than 110 clinics worldwide and accelerate European expansion. This isn't Impress's first big raise. In 2024, the company announced over €110 million in financing, which helped fuel its European growth after acquiring DrSmile. Now, with the EIB's backing, Impress is positioning itself as a leader in the HealthTech space. ### Why the EIB Backing Matters Vladimir Lupenko, co-founder and CEO of Impress, put it this way: "For years, patients have had to choose between expensive orthodontics with constant clinic visits, or at-home solutions without adequate medical follow-up. At Impress, we were born to close that gap." He added that the EIB's support "represents a seal of guarantee in the HealthTech companies' ecosystem in Europe, confirms our vision, and places us in an advantageous position to consolidate our model in the region." The EIB is the European Union's lending arm, so its involvement sends a strong signal. María Romano, Head of the EIB Group Office in Spain, said: "The digital transformation of the healthcare sector offers significant opportunities to improve the quality and efficiency of services provided to citizens. This operation reflects the EIB's commitment to supporting innovative European growth companies like Impress that leverage AI to build cutting-edge solutions and expand their footprint across Europe, reinforcing EU leadership in HealthTech innovation." ### A Wave of HealthTech Investment Impress's financing comes amid a series of European investments in digital dentistry and AI-enabled healthcare in 2026. In France, Paris-based DentalMonitoring secured €84 million to expand its AI-powered orthodontic monitoring platform, while Montpellier-based Lupin Dental raised €15 million for dental robotics. Belgium's Relu also attracted €1.51 million for AI-powered dental workflows. In Spain, Madrid-based Tucuvi raised €17 million for its voice-AI healthcare platform, while Barcelona's Health Force secured €4.2 million for hospital automation. Together with Impress's €40 million venture debt loan, these announcements represent approximately €161.7 million in reported financing, spanning equity investments and debt. ### How Impress Uses AI to Transform Orthodontics Founded in Barcelona in 2019 by Vladimir Lupenko, Diliara Lupenko, and Khaled Kasem, Impress combines in-person care in specialized clinics with continuous monitoring through its AI-powered technology platform. The company currently operates in 10 countries across Europe and the United States, with more than 110 clinics and 500,000 patients treated globally. In Spain alone, it has 22 clinics. The new investment will drive the development of Impress's proprietary platform, a comprehensive AI-based healthcare ecosystem designed to unify patient treatment from start to finish. The solution spans from in-clinic 3D intraoral scans—delivering more accurate tooth-movement predictions than traditional molds—to AI-assisted treatment planning and ongoing patient tracking via Impress's proprietary mobile app. One of its recent innovations is the industry's first autonomous smile simulator, which uses artificial intelligence to recreate the "before and after" of treatment in just three seconds, with no need for manual intervention. That's a game-changer for patient engagement. ### What's Next for Impress? Having consolidated its position in Southern Europe, with Spain, Portugal, and Italy as its main markets, Impress is preparing a new phase of international expansion focused on Northern Europe. This strategy will focus mainly on the German, Dutch, and UK markets, where the company has operated since 2023. With the EIB's backing and a proven AI platform, Impress is well-positioned to lead the next wave of digital orthodontics. And as more investors pour money into HealthTech, the competition is heating up. But for now, Impress is setting the pace.