Insights into European HealthTech and MedTech

Nelson Advisors positions itself as a specialist, founder led M&A and strategic advisory firm for European HealthTech and MedTech. The team have built a growing thought leadership footprint around M&A, AI, market-entry and valuation dynamics across Europe.​

They regularly publish market analysis, predictions and insights at their sister site https://www.healthcare.digital

Core positioning and focus

Nelson Advisors focuses on M&A, partnerships and investments for Digital Health, HealthTech, Health IT, Consumer Health, Healthcare Cybersecurity and Healthcare AI companies across the UK, Europe and North America.​

The partners emphasise a founder-banker model, having built, scaled and exited multiple HealthTech businesses, which underpins their advisory angle for European healthtech and medtech founders.​

European HealthTech M&A insights

Their “European HealthTech M&A Landscape” work highlights that M&A has become the dominant exit route, accounting for over 94% of digital health exits globally in early 2025, as IPO markets remain weak.​

They describe a shift toward fewer but larger “platform” and “mega-merger” deals, with European healthcare M&A deal value up 87% to around EUR 31.8 billion in early 2025 while deal count falls, signalling a flight to scaled, high-quality assets.​

MedTech, AI and regulatory themes

In medtech, Nelson Advisors stress AI as a key enabler of dealflow, with buyers competing for AI-driven assets despite the complexity and cost introduced by the EU MDR and IVDR frameworks.​

Their commentary points to strong M&A interest in cardiovascular therapies, wearables/remote monitoring, robotics (including remote surgery), and AI-powered ophthalmology and surgical platforms, with strategics like Medtronic, J&J and Philips, plus PE houses such as Gilde and Apposite, as core acquirers.​

Valuation, capital and PE dynamics

Nelson Advisors’ valuation and market dynamics reporting notes that European healthcare M&A in 2025 combines rising deal values with selective buyer behaviour, with PE driving significant activity through buy-and-build and “string of pearls” consolidation strategies.​

They highlight macro tailwinds such as falling interest rates, large pharma and corporate cash reserves (cited around USD 171 billion by late 2024) and an AI-led “flight to quality”, with AI-related assets capturing a majority share of European digital health funding (around 58% in 2024).​

Market-entry and 2026 playbook

Nelson Advisors publishes guidance on UK and European market entry for HealthTech and MedTech, stressing that M&A and partnerships are often the most effective way to navigate fragmented reimbursement and procurement regimes such as national health systems.​

Their 2026 HealthTech and MedTech M&A playbook revolves around building scalable, sustainable and defensible business models, evidencing operational excellence, and preparing for disciplined buyers who prioritise clear monetisation, regulatory readiness and AI-driven differentiation.