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Credit: Dr. HIMSELF.
TechVision Fund I for the Aachen, Krefeld & Mönchengladbach GmbH & Co. KG regions has invested in SAM Germany GmbH, Düsseldorf. The start-up, founded in 2018 by Jan Holzapfel and David Richter, specializes in digital health care for animals. It also sells complementary digital and analog health services for pets. As part of a reorganization of the shareholder structure, the Gründerfonds took over shares from existing investors and also subscribed to a convertible bond in order to increase the equity volume. The Flixbus founders also took a stake in the company last year.
The number of pets has increased significantly
With the capital injection, Dr. SAM to expand its position in the growing and now highly competitive pet care market. 34.3 million pets live in German households (excluding ornamental fish and terrarium animals). In 2018, the share of households with pets was around 45%. Almost every second household in Germany has a pet. This is what Dr. SAM mainly caters (13.7 million) and dog owners (9.2 million).
Subscription model from EUR 9.90 per month
Core element of the digital solution from Dr. SAM are telemedical advice as a supplement or replacement for a visit to the vet. Dr. Sam primarily relies on a subscription model that costs EUR 9.90 per month in the basic version. An individual consultation costs EUR 39.90. Other sources of income are the online sale of medicines and food supplements as well as the brokerage of animal health insurance. In around 70% of cases, SAM manages to help animal owners without the need for on-site treatment. In all other cases, our experts refer customers to local veterinarians and clinics, ”says Dr. Jan Holzapfel, CEO and founder of Dr. SAM.
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