The European Investment Bank (EIB) has announced signing a €40m venture debt loan with Impress, the Barcelona-based digital orthodontics company, to invest in AI and its technology platform and to accelerate expansion in Northern Europe, including Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.
The EIB said the loan is guaranteed by InvestEU and follows Impress's consolidation in Southern Europe and backs the digital orthodontics company's growth across Northern Europe.
Impress was founded in 2019 by Vladimir Lupenko, Diliara Lupenko and Khaled Kasem. It operates more than 110 clinics in 10 countries in Europe and the US, combines in-person clinics with AI-supported remote monitoring, has 22 clinics in Spain, according to EU-Startups, and acquired DrSmile from Straumann Group in 2024.
In a statement, María Romano, head of the EIB Group Office in Spain, said, "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."
El Economista reported that Romano described the instrument at a media briefing. She described the instrument as venture debt with two remuneration components, classic interest and a component linked to growth in the company's value, and said its flexibility and long maturity were important to Impress. The EIB release did not disclose the exact tenor, repayment profile, any tranche split or the interest terms.
The company said it had revenue of about €103m and positive EBITDA in 2025, according to EU-Startups and El Economista. It expects revenue of about €145m in 2026, the company said, while La Vanguardia reported in February 2026 that net profit was not expected until 2028.
The EIB facility follows Trinity Capital's $40m commitment to Impress, announced on 12 November 2024. Trinity, listed on Nasdaq as TRIN, described the commitment as debt financing within a larger $117m round to open 20 new clinics across Europe.
The same round was reported as over €110m. La Vanguardia reported that €40m of it was debt. Impress also raised a $125m Series B in July 2022 backed by LBO France, Norgine Ventures and Claret Capital Partners. Mubadala Investment Co., Claret Capital Partners and LBO France were among Impress's current investors, according to Headliner's report of a Bloomberg interview.