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LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND — Six pet care companies have been selected as winners of Nestlé Purina PetCare’s second-annual UNLEASHED Accelerator Lab Programme, which supports “impactful” pet industry startups developing innovative products to advance sustainability and pet wellbeing across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
Of the six companies selected, two are focused on redefining the pet food and pet food ingredient landscapes.
Pawpots is a Lebanon-based pet food brand offering pre-portioned, fresh dog diets through a convenient delivery service. The diets are kettle-cooked and manufactured in Lebanon with whole-animal ingredients sourced from local human-grade meat manufacturers, as well as fruits, vegetables, chia seeds and oils.
Biokind, the other pet food-focused startup winner, produces alternative, sustainable proteins for use in pet food, aquaculture and livestock feed formulas. The United Kingdom-based company uses fermentation technology to convert agricultural waste products into concentrated protein ingredients for animal food.
The other four winners include Animoscope, a French company creating a one-stop-shop for expert advice on veterinary, animal health and welfare topics; Finland-based Pawesomer, a web app to help pet owners organize pet health, training and wellness data; PuppyFat, a resource for dog breeders to keep records, histories and lineage information of their dogs, based in the United Kingdom; and Scorpet, a French mobile app where pet owners can upload photos and videos of their companions to enter in online contests.
“We are delighted to welcome such visionary and progressive young companies to our cohort,” said Kim Bill, head of the Purina Accelerator Lab. “Their business models align with Purina’s drive to innovate and challenge the industry through technology, and data-driven solutions. While the next six months will be busy, we look forward to successfully completing the ‘Proof-of Concept’ highly structured programme with our innovators and seeing how they use technology to advance and promote the pet-human bond.”
These six winners were selected over more than 300 applicants across 50 countries. Each startup will receive an initial investment of CHF 50,000 (nearly $54,450 USD) as well as mentorship and support from Purina’s Accelerator team and other industry professionals.
The 2021 UNLEASHED Accelerator Lab Programme will conclude in December, and recruitment for the 2022 cohort will begin in February.
Read more about product development, ingredients and formulation.
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