Manos Insights
Ideas, strategies, and stories from the frontlines of vertical software. A closer look at how long-term thinking drives performance, leadership, and growth.
Written by
Caroline Hansen
The dental industry is undergoing rapid digital transformation. As practices scale, patient expectations rise, and regulatory demands increase, the need for modern, mission-critical software has never been greater. At Manos, we see this as both an opportunity and a responsibility.
We invest in vertical software companies that power essential industries—and dental care is one of them. Our goal is to support the next generation of practice management platforms, helping them grow sustainably while preserving what makes them indispensable to their users.
Why dental software is a strategic investment
Dental practices today face unique operational and clinical challenges. Many rely on legacy systems that struggle to keep up with modern demands—fragmented communication, manual billing, outdated reporting, and a lack of interoperability are just some of the pain points.
Innovative software platforms are solving these issues by:
Automating front-desk and back-office workflows
Enabling secure, real-time patient communication
Supporting multi-site scalability and cloud-native infrastructure
Integrating AI and data insights to inform clinical decisions
Simplifying regulatory compliance and insurance processing
These aren't just nice-to-haves—they're becoming table stakes. That’s why dental software, when well-built and deeply embedded in practice operations, represents a highly resilient and recurring revenue model. It’s also a market with significant room for growth, especially as younger, tech-savvy dentists enter the profession and expect seamless digital tools.
What we look for in potential partners
At Manos, we take a selective, long-term approach. We acquire companies with strong fundamentals and the potential to become category leaders. In the dental space, we typically look for businesses with:
$5M–$100M in annual revenue
80%+ recurring revenue (ARR)
Net revenue retention above 100%
Low customer concentration
A clear product-market fit within a non-cyclical, mission-critical segment
Experienced leadership teams committed to continued growth
We don’t ask founders to exit. We ask them to double down—with our support behind them.
A different kind of partner
Manos is not a private equity firm in the traditional sense. We operate with permanent capital, which allows us to buy and hold software companies indefinitely. This means we’re not pressured by exit timelines or fund cycles. Our horizon is long-term, and so is our commitment.
We bring hands-on support across operations, strategy, product development, and talent. And we believe in preserving the legacy and culture of the companies we acquire—not replacing it with bureaucracy.
In the dental software world, where relationships, trust, and domain expertise matter, that kind of stability makes a difference.
Building a better future for dental care
As the healthcare industry continues to modernize, dental practices will need to stay ahead—not just clinically, but operationally. Software will be the lever that unlocks that next phase of growth.
We’re here to help make that happen.
If you’re a founder building a dental platform that’s solving real problems with staying power, we’d love to connect.
