Venture Archives - usatoday24

In Spain, insurers and venture capital are discovering what the business of the century really is: pets

June 7, 2026 by usatoday24

It’s nothing new. Statistics have long confirmed a reality that anyone can see walking around their city: in Spain there are more pets than small children. many more. And in view of how they evolve the birth rate and the animal census of company, everything indicates that this gap will widen with the passage of time. It is therefore understandable that insurers are increasingly interested in a business that promises a notable growth in the coming years: policies for dogs and cats. It makes sense if we take into account that in Spain there are not only millions of pets. It is increasingly easier to find families who dedicate hundreds of euros in your care. The number: 20 million. It is not easy to specify how many pets are there in Spain. The figures handled by public organizations, veterinarians and the industry dedicated to their care do not completely coincide, but the general image they offer is the same: we Spaniards like the company of dogs, cats, parrots, ferrets, iguanas and other animals capable of adapting to living in our homes. If we trust Anfaac, the association that represents feed manufacturers, in Spain there are more than 20 million of pets, especially dogs (6.9 million). The Spanish Association of Industry and Commerce of the Pet Sector (Aedpac) raises the number of pets to 28 million“present in 40% of the homes” in the country. Other sources point to some 30 millionwhile REIAC (Spanish Network for the Identification of Pet Animals) had registered three years ago 10.1 million of dogs and 968,000 cats. A question of censuses… and euros. Censuses show us that hundreds of thousands of dogs, cats, ferrets, reptiles, birds live in Spanish homes… but that is only part of the ‘photo’ that interests the sector. Another (equally or even more important) is how much we spend on their care. That question was answered in March by EAE Business School, which published a report on ‘pet-money’ which concludes that pets generate a business of 5,770 million euros annually in Spain, drive an economy that grows at 8.3% and support 75,000 direct jobs in 12,300 companies. These are compelling figures, but they are less surprising when you know another key provided by EAE: 49% of households Spaniards live with at least one pet, on whose care we spend on average between 500 and 1,000 euros per year. “In many cases these disbursements are comparable to spending on leisure or communications,” confirms the studywhich has detected a “cultural change” in the relationship with animals that leads a good part of Generation Z and millennials to affirm that they are an essential part of their lives. “Hundreds of millions a year”. The report from AEA Business School also probed the animal-specific insurance business and discovered two things. First, it is in full expansion. Second, that sector data show that it already moves “several hundred million euros a year.” He is not the only one who paints a promising picture for insurers willing to exploit this business niche. Fortune Business Insights calculate that the size of the global pet insurance market amounted to $25.91 billion last year and, if its forecasts are correct, this year it will rise to $30.74 billion. The organization estimates that the sector is growing at a compound annual rate of 18.63%, meaning that in less than a decade it would be in 120,560 millionwith a prominent weight from North America. A business to exploit. Despite all of the above and the fact that veterinary coverage is basically private, the pet insurance business still has a lot of room to grow in Spain. At least that’s what it suggests a study from Guidewire, which points out that only half of pet owners have a specific policy for themselves. Specifically, after interviewing more than 4,000 people from Spain, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, the firm assures that, although 74% have a pet, only 49.6% have insurance to protect them. Other analyzes on the subject considerably reduce that percentage. “This data draws attention when taking into account the regulations in force in Spain, so, since September 29, 2023, the Animal Welfare Law requires all owners of dogs, the most common pet, to take out civil liability insurance, regardless of their breed,” points out the entity. All in all, Spain is one of the countries “”with the greatest acceptance of pet insurance” and the penetration of this type of services has clearly grown in recent years. Waking up appetite. In view of all the above, it is much better understood that large insurance companies and venture capital is entering in the digital veterinary insurance niche. Their hook: to make healthcare for dogs, cats and other pets easier on the wallet. One of the most recent tests comes from Petolo, linked to Getolo GmBH and the Zurich Group. A few days ago the company announced his landing in Spain after acquiring a portfolio of more than 150,000 dogs and cats insured in Germany and France. “The Spanish market has 15.5 million dogs and cats, mostly without veterinary insurance,” says the firm, which offers several plans that allow you to recover part of the bills (between 60 and 100%, depending on the bread) for animal health care. Is it a unique case? Not at all. As explained recently Five Days There are more examples of insurers and private equity firms that seem interested in the veterinary insurance business. Another recent case is that of Reale, which has decided to reinforce its presence in the pet policy sector. entering the shareholding from Canitas. The business has also attracted entrepreneurs such as those who have promoted the startup Barkibuwhich aims at the same objective: the vein that represents private healthcare for pets. Images | Olga Kononenko (Unsplash) and Karsten Winegeart (Unsplash) In Xataka | We have been looking at Noah’s syndrome as a minority and controlled problem for years. we were wrong

His first ‘Joint Venture’ stops operating and dragging thousands of layoffs

April 8, 2025 by usatoday24

For more than three decades, Microsoft has maintained a constant presence in China. Although the country represents only a fraction of its global incomeRedmond’s company opted to position himself there with products such as Windows and Officeand with a network of research centers aimed at collaborating with the local technological ecosystem. Today, in a scenario marked by geopolitical tension, that bet begins to be diluted: Microsoft has begun to undo agreements and to close facilities, in what seems to be part of a broader reorganization plan in the region. A Joint Venture Microsoft in China throws the closure. As reported South China Morning Post, Wicresoftthe first Joint Business Created by Microsoft in the country, it will cease its operations. Although the situation for American technological ones in China has been complicated over time, the announcement has caught by surprise. According to the Hongkonese newspaper, the employees were informed on Monday that their work linked to the software firm led by Satya Nadella “will come to an end.” Citing the Chinese medium Caijing, the measure will affect some 2,000 workers. Sudden notification. Wicresoft, based in Seattle and more than 10,000 workers worldwide, is dedicated to offering advice, technological solutions and operational support for large international brands. In China, its presence extended to 20 cities, including Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, where it managed projects of different scale for Microsoft. According to the aforementioned media, the news of the closure came unexpectedly: many employees received the notice by mail this Monday and, in several venues, they were asked to leave the place as soon as Tuesday, without margin to react. A question about the future of support. The closure of Wicresoft leaves in the air who will manage Microsoft’s after -sales support in China, a market where access to technical services remains key to many users and companies. The company was responsible for giving technical assistance to key products such as Windows 10, Windows 11 and Office, among others, adapting the service to the particularities of the local environment. According to Reutersthis change is aligned with the intention of Microsoft to centralize and reduce subcontracting in the country, although it has not been revealed who will take over or in what deadlines. Impulse for local alternatives. Microsoft’s progressive withdrawal in China leaves free space that other local firms have not taken advantage of. One of the big beneficiaries is Kingsooft Office, head of WPS Office, An office suite compatible with Microsoft formats that has already exceeded 100 million daily users in the country. Her experience in the local market and her functional resemblance with Office (at first glance seems like a clone) have made it an option increasingly adopted by public organizations, banks and telecommunications operators. Since 2022, Chinese state companies are obliged to submit quarterly reports on their progress in the replacement of foreign software for national alternatives. As the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal points outthis policy, promoted from Beijing in full technological and commercial war with the United States, has directly favored companies such as Kingsooft, which now have the implicit support of the state apparatus. The result: less licenses for Office and more WPS deployment in strategic sectors where Microsoft moves. SDE WICRESOFT step is not an isolated case. In the last two years, Microsoft has progressively reduced its presence in the Asian giant. In 2023, The company closed all its physical stores in China, offered relocations to hundreds of employees in the artificial intelligence area and applied template cuts. More recently, he has also hardened his internal security protocols, forcing its workers in China to use iPhones exclusively to access corporate platformsdue to the restrictions imposed by the lack of Google Play in the country. Shanghai’s laboratory is another example of that replication. Inaugurated in 2019 as the largest center of its type outside the United States, the IATI & AI Insider Lab was conceived to promote the development of strategic technologies in collaboration with local companies. He closed its doors in early 2024 after supporting more than 250 projects and training thousands of professionals. Its closure confirms a trend that, although not entirely unexpected, does show a deep change in Microsoft’s strategy in one of the countries where it has been operating longer and where they had made multiple bets. Withdrawal in full trade war. The Microsoft replication does not occur in a vacuum. It coincides with a new escalation in the tensions between Washington and Beijing that has reactivated the large -scale commercial war. Donald Trump has threatened to impose additional 50% tariffs if China does not withdraw its retaliation measureswhich arrived after the first waves of taxes driven by the White House after their return to power. In this climate, many quoted American companies are collapsing in the stock market, dragging with it to entire sectors and other markets in the world. Images | VD Photography | / Ricardo | Silvestre Rui In Xataka | Manufacturing the iPhone 16 Pro of 256 GB in China costs 550 dollars today. With tariffs it will cost $ 850

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