“Can a pet insurtech eliminate the financial anxiety of vet visits by making insurance funds instantly accessible at point of care through embedded card and instant-payment infrastructure?”
Founded in 2013 as a pet telehealth platform, Barkibu spent several years iterating on product-market fit before pivoting decisively into pet insurance in 2021. The core innovation was tackling the reimbursement problem endemic to pet insurance — customers paying out of pocket and waiting days for refunds — by using Stripe for real-time billing and claim payments. The company then launched the Barkibu Card (via Stripe Issuing) to allow insured customers to pay vets directly with Barkibu funds, eliminating the reimbursement wait entirely and transforming the insurance experience from reactive to proactive.
Barkibu processes payments through Stripe.
Barkibu's cards are issued through Stripe Issuing.
Barkibu uses Devengo for FX and cross-border payouts.
Barkibu's embedded insurance is provided by Great Lakes Insurance SE.
The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 4 layers in Barkibu's stack: Payments / PSP (Stripe); Card issuing (Stripe Issuing); Insurance (Great Lakes Insurance SE); FX & payouts (Devengo).
Barkibu was founded by Pablo Pazos and Alvaro Gutierrez and is founded in 2013, headquartered in Gondomar, Pontevedra, Spain.
Barkibu has raised $5.6M+ in total (latest round: Series Unknown (Venture Capital-Backed)).
Get a read on where your own stack stands against Barkibu and the rest of its category — what they built versus bought, which providers they use, and where the gaps in your own strategy and competitive set actually are.