Updated on Nov 24, 2023
1. Last.app, integrated restaurant management, gets €5M in a delicious year for Spanish FoodTech 🧑🏻🍳🖥️.
Last.app is an integrated management platform for restaurant businesses: its clients include restaurant chains, independent establishments and dark kitchens🥷🏼. The restaurant business has become more complex than in the past: different sales and delivery channels (in-room 🍽️, delivery🛵, pick-up🥡, take-away🥤...) and everything must come out of the same kitchen. This is precisely one of their secrets: bringing together the different sales and service processes in the same software to give clarity to the management😅.
In addition, from the beginning they were aware that the key, in a business that has a lot of sacrifice and inmediatez⏱️, is to keep the learning curve to a minimum and to automate repetitive but necessary tasks ✅. Adapted to any operating system and capable of integrating other platforms, they seek that the change is given with the minimum fricción🧘🏻♂️.
Founded in 2019 in Barcelona, Last.app has managed to survive the pandemic and now set its sights on an expansion plan europeo🇪🇺 and consolidation in the market español🇪🇸. To do this they have closed an investment of €5M that will boost the recruitment of customer service teams 📞 and especially, marketing for expansion and sales 📢.
This investment in a RestaurantTech🧂 comes on top of a strong year for FoodTech in Spain, which ranked 5th in 2022 in Europe in terms of investment 🏅 and had a turnover x3 (€695M) compared to the investments received 🎰.
In 2023, changes in habits will be consolidated, such as teleworking or homestaging 🛋️, which will affect how we eat outside the home. We are still a country of eating out 🧑🏻🍳, however, we are already at 32% of restaurant spending allocated to Delivery (7%) + Takeaway (25%).
👉🏻 Here to read about last.app's round and its future plans🔮.
👉🏻 Here to learn about last.app and how they solve restaurant management in a unified software ∞.
👉🏻 Here the news from 2022 about the success of Spanish FoodTech 🎉.
👉🏻 Here is the report on consumption in restaurants (in the dining room, delivery or takeaway) by the Restaurant Brands Association, KPMG and Circana 🛍️.
2. All about OpenAI Gate and the script twist that started just a week ago 🤖💥.
Inaugurating a new genre we could call Business Show or Corporate Drama, reality always beats fiction🎥. Neither Sillicon Valley 🤖 nor Black Mirror 🤳🏼 (not even Succession!👴🏼) have been able to fictionalise such savage struggles in the business world as the one that has been paraded before us this week🤖.
The trigger: the withering dismissal 🫵🏼 of Sam Altman as CEO of OpenAI with serious accusations about his honesty.
The pescatore: Microsoft, shareholder and savvy head-hunter 🤔 who took Altman and Brockman on board for two días👨🏻🍼. They didn't have time for much, but they did CV📄.
The dilemma: the internal struggle between the non-profit 🧟 vs. for-profit 🤑 faction of the council.
The Pax Romana: Sam Altman and his legion of loyal colleagues 🤑 return to OpenAI with more power than nunca🤴🏻.
The Lost Letter: The latest is a report on an alleged letter 📥 discussing Project Q, a way to improve AI reasoning that would pose a potential threat to humanity ⚠️ and was ignored 🤷🏻♀️.
To make sure you don't get lost or bored, I recommend:
👉🏻 Chronology of events by Xataka, everything that happened from last Friday until today 📆.
👉🏻 Here to understand Who's Who in this Prompt Vaudeville 🎭.
👉🏻 If you're saturated and can't read anymore, then watch this video 📼 and you've got conversation for the weekend.
👉🏻 In the meantime, Bard is monkeying around 🐥.
👉🏻 And of course Elon has launched Grok, in his words, a "rebellious and witty" AI that shouldn't be used "if you don't like humour"🙄. It's all so Elon that he's probably the one who personally responds to the requests🙄.
3. Kibus Petcare, innovation in dog nutrition with a recent investment round 🐶💼.
Kibus Petcare incorporates key investors (including EASO Ventures, leading the round of more than €1M for growth in Spain 🔔), joining a set of private investors and family offices in this new stage of the startup 🌅.
Kibus Petcare is an innovative company in the pet nutrition sector, creator of a unique nutritional system for dogs, which offers natural food and an automatic preparation device, adapting to each dog 🍱.
The startup has a leading model in the market, focused on natural dehydrated food, developed by veterinarians and nutritionists, and a device that prepares the food while maintaining its nutrients 💊 and taste 😋.
Kibus has demonstrated its ability to innovate in the petcare sector, highlighting that its proposal has been well received in the market: a practical and healthy solution for dog food 🍛.
👉🏻 Here to learn more about Kibus Petcare's investment round 🐾.
👉🏻 Here to explore Kibus Petcare's products and services and its innovative nutrition system 👩🏻🍳.
👉🏻 If you are looking to boost your innovative idea in the petcare sector 🚀 we can help you develop an attractive business model and advanced technology. [Schedule an appointment with our experts here 📅 and one of our consultants 📲 will contact you to discuss your project.
4. Templa, wellness & aesthetic medicine by subscription, in a booming sector that we are keeping an eye on 💆🏻♀️🔝.
Templa, The Netflix of Wellness, has introduced in Spain the innovative concept of aesthetic medicine and wellness subscription. Offering plans ranging from €92 to €392/month, they ensure that consistency and continuity 📅 in aesthetic treatments are the key to success in order to obtain real results. With a new centre in Madrid, Templa symbolises how access to aesthetic medicine has become easier and more normalised, especially for the younger generation 👱🏼♀️.
👉🏻 Here you can see Templa's website and their plans and prices.
👉🏻 Here is the interview in Telva with its founder.
📈 Increase in Cosmetic Surgeries and Change of Body Perception 📈 Increase in Cosmetic Surgeries and Change of Body Perception 🪞. In Spain, cosmetic surgeries increased by 215% in eight years, a parallel phenomenon in the US and other advanced countries. The most common operations include breast augmentation, rhinoplasty and liposuction. This increase reflects a change in the perception of self-image, influenced by social media filters 📸 and the ubiquity of video conferencing 🙋🏼♀️. However, there is concern about the lack of mental health assessment in patients seeking cosmetic surgery, with experts suggesting psychological support 🗣️ for those with unrealistic expectations.
👉🏻 Here is the article on the exponential increase of surgeries in the first world.
🧒🏻 The Impact of Social Media and Aesthetic Medicine on Young People. The average age of aesthetic medicine patients has drastically decreased from 35 to 20 years old. Influenced by Instagram and other social networks, many young women are seeking treatments such as lip 👄 and cheek fillers, driven by the image of "perfection👌" presented by influencers. Psychologists warn about the risks of making impulsive decisions regarding cosmetic surgery, especially in adolescents, where there may be unresolved underlying psychological issues🤔.
👉🏻 Here is the decrease in the average age (20 years!!!) of surgery patients.
💉 Growth of Aesthetic Medicine in Spain. 40% of the Spanish population between 16 and 70 years old use aesthetic medicine 🤕, a significant increase compared to previous years. Facial treatments lead the demand, with botulinum toxin being the most popular.
👉🏻 Read here the article about this boom and how these services, previously a bit taboo 🤫, have become normalised.
📲 Bloome: simplifying and democratising aesthetic medicine. Less than two months ago, the startup Bloome, specialising in aesthetic medicine, raised €1M in its second round of funding. After serving more than 1,500 patients in its first year and collaborating with renowned laboratories, it seeks to consolidate its position as a leader in the wellness sector. This case shows the growth potential and market confidence in technological innovations applied to aesthetic medicine.
👉🏻 Here the news about the investment in Bloome and here to learn more about Bloome and its services.
5. Finteca, the mortgage platform, joins the Clar Group and makes the international leap.
Finteca joins the Swedish Clar Group for an international expansion (leading brand in digital lending and based in Sweden 🇸🇪), entering as part of Prestalo, its lending division in Spain 🏡🔑.
Finteca is an innovative mortgage platform, founded in Barcelona and a facilitator of mortgage management on a large scale, working with thousands of agents and managing a significant volume of mortgages annually 🙌🏼.
The company has a virtual presence in all Spanish provinces, managing more than €800M in mortgages, consolidating its impact on the market ⚡️.
The challenge of offering mortgage financing solutions adaptable to different profiles is ambitious, especially with the expansion into international markets such as France 🇫🇷 and Portugal 🇵🇹. Finteca, with its experience and model, will support Clar in this expansion, reinforcing its presence in the mortgage market 🏦. An ambitious operation where they grow in new markets and new products, reinforcing their positioning as a FinTech benchmark 🧑🏼💻.
The best thing about the Finteca model? Its ability to connect consumers with financial solutions. Their integration with Clar will now allow them to respond to a broader spectrum of customers' financial needs, from home buying to other lending or personal credit needs 💳.
👉🏻 Here to read about Finteca's integration into the Clar group 🤝🏼.
👉🏻 Here to learn more about Finteca and its mortgage management services 🔑📜.
