Medadom, a company that installs teleconsultation booths in pharmacies and optical stores, has been named to France’s Next40—an annual list of the country’s highest-potential startups—announced during VivaTech 2026.
The selection is both symbolic and strategic. Landing in the Next40 places Medadom among a small group of companies that France’s “French Tech” initiative views as capable of competing at a European, even global, scale. For Medadom, it also validates a specific bet: making medical care available where patients already go—pharmacies and eyewear retailers.
A regulated player in a market that logged 13.9 million reimbursed teleconsultations
Medadom operates in a tightly controlled sector after problems that emerged during the Covid-19 crisis. The French government now requires prior approval for any platform that wants to work with France’s national health insurance system (Assurance maladie) on reimbursed teleconsultations.
In 2024, 13.9 million teleconsultations were reimbursed, but only through seven certified platforms. Medadom is on that list, alongside Tessan Med, Qare, Medaviz, Livi, MedecinDirect and EOS Care.
Doctolib—France’s dominant medical appointment-booking platform—is not. The company backed by Xavier Niel and his partners was sanctioned for abuse of a dominant position and remains outside the scope of reimbursed teleconsultation. That gap is where Medadom has positioned itself, with a physical model rooted in pharmacy networks rather than at-home video visits.
VivaTech as a megaphone for French Tech announcements
VivaTech remains the event where French Tech announcements get their biggest media lift. Medadom’s entry into the Next40 is being framed as validation of a hybrid approach that sits between digital health and neighborhood retail.
The startup is not a pure mobile-app player. It relies on a physical infrastructure of booths installed in stores—an on-the-ground footprint that creates a barrier to entry that fully digital competitors struggle to replicate.
The Next40 as a barometer of France’s startup scene
The Next40 ranking is updated annually by the French Tech Mission, which is attached to the ministry responsible for digital policy. It brings together 40 French startups considered the most advanced in fundraising and growth prospects. Making the list can open doors: easier access to public procurement, stronger international visibility, and a clear signal to investors.
For Medadom, the challenge now is sustaining momentum. The reimbursed teleconsultation market remains constrained by the limited number of approved platforms and by shifts in Assurance maladie policy. The model’s durability depends as much on regulation as on Medadom’s ability to deploy booths across a dense enough network to compete with at-home consultations and local health centers.
