Pet industry expands support for early-stage startups

New initiatives from Pawsible Ventures, Nestlé Purina, Mars Petcare, Leap Venture Studio and Playground Lab are giving early-stage pet businesses access to funding, mentorship and industry expertise. 

Pawsible Ventures

Canadian venture capital firm Pawsible Ventures has selected 7 pet care startups to join the second cohort of its accelerator program.

The startups were selected from a pool of more than 130 applications and include companies spanning pet care, healthcare and nutrition, pet services, and veterinary care: FRAPS Institute, Ulysse, EpiPaws, Pawp Water, Companion Candles, Chckvet and Kuno.

The next stage will focus on refining the startups’ positioning, strengthening their evidence and preparing them to engage with investors.

Purina

Nestlé Purina closed applications for the 2027 Pet Care Innovation Prize on 6 October. The competition offers funding and support to entrepreneurs developing innovative pet care products and services. 

The annual competition selects 5 pet-focused startups to receive $25,000 (€21,750) each in non-dilutive funding, along with mentorship from pet care industry leaders at Purina and Active Capital.

The finalists are also invited to participate in an accelerator boot camp at Purina’s headquarters in St. Louis and compete for an additional $25,000 (€21,750) grand prize at a live pitch competition at Global Pet Expo in Orlando in March 2027.

“Since 2016, the Pet Care Innovation Prize has supported startups working to advance pet care and awarded more than $1 million (€870,000) in non-dilutive funding to 50 startups,” Patrick Mullen, Co-Lead of Purina’s 9 Square Ventures group and Vice President of Strategic Planning at Purina, tells GlobalPETS.

He adds that many participants have expanded their businesses, attracted further investment and reached new customers through major retailers and pet care channels. For example, 2026 grand prize winner PetPax Co. has extended its SupplaMelts product line to cats since taking part in the program.

Mars Petcare

Big Idea Ventures and Mars Petcare, together with partners AAK, Bühler, Givaudan and Ingredion, have chosen 3 startups for the 2026 Next Generation Pet Food Program, which supports the development of innovative materials that could reduce the environmental impact of pet food, including alternative proteins, fats, oils and other novel ingredients.

The selected companies include EcoBean, a Polish producer of ingredients from spent coffee grounds; Loopworm, an Indian insect biotech company producing protein and fat ingredients from silkworms; and Space Ark Biomedical, a Taiwanese company developing functional protein ingredients from food byproducts.

“The solutions provided by these startups offer opportunities across multiple pet food technologies, including wet, dry and treats. They have the potential to serve both as functional ingredients and as palatants, offering opportunities to enhance nutritional value, functional benefits, palatability and overall product appeal,” Mars Petcare tells GlobalPETS.

Now in its third year, the program attracted 83 applications from 33 countries, with nearly half coming from the Asia-Pacific region. More than half of the applications focused on dry proteins, while a third targeted wet proteins and the remainder covered fats and oils. Production methods included plant-based processing, fermentation, insect farming and other emerging approaches.

The startups will receive expert guidance, research and development support and a $15,000 (€13,050) cash prize to develop their solutions and accelerate market entry. The program will conclude at the Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit in Singapore from 27-29 October, where they will pitch to industry leaders, investors and decision-makers.

Leap Venture Studio

Pet care startup accelerator Leap Venture Studio has named 6 startups for its 10th cohort, the first to benefit from its new partner TAW Ventures, a venture capital firm founded by Jane Lauder of Estée Lauder Companies.

The selected startups include pet nutrition firms Wynwood and Grub Club; vet tech business Luna the Dental Vets; Lyme disease testing company LymeAlert; NanosVet, which develops nanofiber technology for delivering pet medicines; and pet supplement brand SoluPet. Additionally, myBalto Foundation, which creates personalized funds for veterinary hospitals, has been selected for the cohort’s Impact Seat, a place for nonprofit or mission-driven organizations to receive program support without an equity investment.

Cohort 10 drew more than 300 applications from over 40 countries. The program will conclude in London during the week of 9 November. Each of the 6 startups selected for investment will receive $200,000 (€174,000) in exchange for equity, alongside access to resources, mentors, entrepreneurs-in-residence, networking opportunities, operational support and brand and marketing services.

Founders will also have access to a network of industry experts and investors from Mars Petcare, TAW Ventures and Michelson Found Animals.

“After the 12-week program, founders in the Leap Venture Studio portfolio continue to receive support in the form of mentorship, continued access to the Leap Venture Studio network, invitations to alumni summits, as well as various events and continued learning opportunities,” Leap tells GlobalPETS.

Following demand for Cohort 10, Leap Venture Studio will return to a spring schedule, with Cohort 11 kicking off on 30 March 2027. The next cohort will focus on startups improving pet health and wellness through science-backed solutions, with particular interest in feline-first care, senior pets, dental health and allergy-focused solutions. It will also select one Impact Seat.

To date, Leap Venture Studio has invested in 63 companies across 10 cohorts in 17 markets globally, while supporting three additional startups through its Impact Seat, which was established in 2023.

Playground Lab

US-based tech incubator Playground Lab has launched its inaugural cohort and first venture, Boujee Pet Care. Playground Lab runs 16-week programs in which cross-disciplinary teams of university students work with industry leaders to take a business idea from concept to launch. 

The first cohort comprises 7 students from 4 universities across the US, with roles spanning product management, design, software development and growth. The team kicked off on 13 August and is working on Boujee Pet Care as its first venture.

According to Habibi Mamone, Founder and CEO of Playground Lab, Boujee Pet Care is developing a pet care service designed to give owners greater visibility and confidence when someone is caring for their pets at home. The platform will let owners monitor when a caretaker arrives and leaves, and receive watermarked photos during the visit.

“The program is open to students currently enrolled in a degree program in any discipline. No prior experience with our tools is required,” Mamone tells GlobalPETS.

The team is currently developing the Boujee Pet Care brand, product and native iOS and Android apps. It is also recruiting caretakers and attendants and plans to run a beta test before the full launch.

Boujee Pet Care will initially launch in a single West Palm Beach ZIP code before expanding to additional areas. Playground Lab plans to run 2 to 3 cohorts in spring 2027, with the next programs scheduled to begin in January in West Palm Beach. Playground Lab has already selected the ventures for the next cohort and will announce them at the kickoff.