These are the winners of Purina’s Unleashed 2023

Each of them will receive CHF50,000 (€50,000/$54,000) and participate in a 20-week journey where they will have the chance to validate their product-market fit and receive useful insights for their respective businesses. 

These are the winners of the 2023 cohort, selected from more than 120 applications:

• Bookmypet, a UAE-based digital platform connecting pet parents to local service providers such as grooming, daycare, boarding, and even veterinarians. 

Speaking to GlobalPETS, a company representative said: “It’s been an honor to be selected among some of the best global startups in the pet-tech industry. With the Nestlé Purina investment, we are laser-focused on further developing our technology and enhancing both our consumers’ and their journeys with us.” 

The company will also run trials “to gain more insights and implement stronger growth strategies.” Additionally, Bookmypet will also expand its network of providers and service offerings through its digital marketplace.

• Dogami, a Swiss play-to-earn mobile game that uses non-fungible token dogs as its main characters and allows players to enter the ‘Petaverse’. 

Mercedes Wong, Merchandise & Partnership Manager of Dogami said: “By making Purina an active member of the rewards mechanism by acting as a sponsor, we create a stronger bond between the brand and our community. 

“With Purina’s support, we can create a fun and engaging experience for a new generation of young and engaged dog lovers and future pet holders.”

• Feelloo, a French GPS tracking firm ​​that makes distress beacons for cats, is designed to help pet parents care for their animals.
• LampoVet, an Italian telemedicine platform offering expert support on dermatological and nutritional problems in pets. 
• Petopy, a Turkish digital portal connecting pet parents with vets, volunteers, animal lovers, and professionals. 
• S’more, a Japanese tech platform that uses nose print identification technology to recognize dogs and connect them with their owners if they’re lost. 

Satsuki Sawashima Co-Founder of S’more said to GlobalPETS: “By winning Unleashed, we have the opportunity to take the first step toward building a society where people and pets coexist together.” 

S’more will use the capital injection to “improve accuracy and speed of nasal print recognition and gain additional users in Japan.” 

Looking ahead, Sawashima hopes S’more will become an identification tool for pets wherein the nose print system can be used for pet insurance claims and a host of other purposes such as entrance into hotels or while boarding a train or plane. 

• VetChip, an Australian smart animal health monitor created to enable owners and vets to access real-time health analytics and alerts via its app. 

A company representative said that entry into the program was “very competitive” and it is “absolutely thrilled” to be recognized – “especially as the first ever company from Australia.”

The Unleashed accelerator program aims to represent the “cutting edge of the next generation in pet services, novel nutrition, and health technologies.”