Another year, another incredible group of pet startups!

This February, we welcomed our sixth cohort to the Unleashed by Purina Startup Accelerator Programme—the leading accelerator for pet startups in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa. Our goal is to always find a group of innovative startups that we can bring value to with the support of our expert team (who we call Unleashed by Purina Champs). 

The Class of 2025 is one of our most international and diverse cohorts yet, with ground-breaking technologies and fresh perspectives of the pet world. Here’s a little introduction to them and what they hope to achieve during their 20 weeks of collaborating with us.

 

AITEM – Your AI-powered veterinary companion

With AI sweeping the technological landscape at large, we're excited to work with AITEM. The founding team have created a conversational AI model called LAIKA that can support vets in their everyday practice.

Massimiliano Melis, COO of AITEM, said, “We are on a journey to improve pets, vets and pet parent life with AI. We have already made strong positive steps on our path to present a new and innovative solution to the pet-care market, and the opportunity to receive tailored support from such an established giant like Purina will help us to take the next great leap forward”.

Over the next 20 weeks, AITEM aims to combine Purina’s know-how of pet nutrition with their advanced knowledge of artificial intelligence to enhance their product and pioneer technology that could prevent diseases in pets.

 

Petnow – App-based pet biometric identification

Petnow is no stranger to the Unleashed by Purina team, as we interviewed them as part of our deep dive into the pet-tech sphere in Asia in 2024. However, their application to our programme was a complete surprise to us. The South Korean startup has created an AI-powered biometric ID that could remove the need for microchips. 

Johnny Jaewon Shin, Director of Business Development at Petnow, said, “We applied for Unleashed because we had a thirst for a pet tech-focused accelerating programme. We’ve participated in numerous programmes in different countries, but they didn’t scratch the itch for us”. 

During their time with Unleashed, they hope to refine their business models and achieve the right value proposition to help them scale.

 

Hubii – Connecting brands, retailers and consumers

This Brazil-based supply chain management startup is a little different to the startups we’ve worked with before but provides a fresh take of innovation in the pet world. Hubii connects CPG (consumer packaged goods) brands, retailers and consumers with their efficient data-led approach. 

Leonardo Seara, Business Development Manager at Hubii, said, “We'd identified a great opportunity for disruption with Purina Brasil. Therefore, we saw a huge chance to take this idea off the drawing board and put it into practice during the Unleashed by Purina programme. Beyond knowledge and networking, we want to concretize our idea and start building”.

 

Petsy – Connecting pet owners with trusted petsitters

Petsy is a Poland-based petsitting marketplace, connecting trusted petsitters and dog walkers with conscientious owners. But they take things a step further with insurance, connections with vets and behavioural consultations. 

Michał Wojewoda, CEO and Co-Founder of Petsy, said, “I've watched the Unleashed by Purina programme for a few years now and even attended a couple of their events. Seeing the opportunities it offered, I knew it would be a great fit for Petsy, so we decided to apply. I believe we can learn a lot from both Purina as a company and the other participants in the programme”.

Over the next 20 weeks, the Petsy team will be focusing on building their brand across the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region, increasing user retention and integrating a nutritional element to their product. 

 

SmartPetCare – Creating the first fully automated wet food feeder for cats

This Swiss-based startup has solved a problem that cat owners know too well: storing and serving wet cat food. With their fully automated wet food feeder, iKitty, cat owners can now relax knowing their kitty will be fed fresh, wet food at a set schedule. SmartPetCare has also integrated more functionality than the average auto feeder, with recyclable capsules and health trackers via their app.  

Frank Carlson, CEO and Co-Founder of SmartPetCare, said, “We’re here to prove what we already believe - that cat owners want a simpler, smarter way to feed wet food. Unleashed is the perfect opportunity to collaborate with the best in the industry - Purina brings expertise, and we bring disruptive innovation. Together, we create a win-win scenario that can fundamentally improve the lives of cats and their owners”.

As the iKitty is pre-launch, they aim to refine the concept, build a prototype and define positioning before entering the market.

 

PetPaw – Your AI-powered pet care consultant

Reducing unnecessary visits, saving time for veterinarians and lowering costs for pet owners are just a few of the benefits of the AI-powered pet care consulting app devised by PetPaw. This Thailand-based startup wants to make pet care as easy as a thumb swipe. 

Trinnasit Jarurangsiwat, CEO and Founder of PetPaw, said, “Over the next 20 weeks, we aim to develop and validate an AI-driven chat and telemedicine system for pet health assessment and e-prescriptions”.

 

Umami – Cultivated pet food proteins

Last but not least, Umami is a food-tech company pioneering pet food with sustainably cultivated food proteins. This is an exciting area, and we’re huge supporters of startups bringing more sustainable solutions to the pet world.

Louis Kutzler, Director of Food Science & Innovation at Umami, said, “Purina is the leader in pet nutrition, and Unleashed provides the perfect platform to collaborate with their experts. We want to leverage this synergy to develop our cell-cultured seafood and lead the charge in redefining pet food and rethinking conventional proteins. Our goal is to work closely with Purina to optimize our cell-cultured seafood for pet food, ensuring it meets their high standards for nutrition, taste and functionality”.

Over the next 20 weeks, they aim to work with our Unleashed by Purina champs to concretize their go-to-market strategy and perfect their formulation.

Will you be next?

As you can see, we work with a wide range of pet startups in many different verticals. If you want to apply for our next cohort, here are some top tips:

1. Know your numbers

A common hiccup we see with applications to our accelerator programme is wonky calculations. So, we recommend practising calculating your Total Addressable Market (TAM), Serviceable Addressable Market (SAM) and Serviceable Obtainable Market (SAM). This blog will help. 

2. Don’t apply if you’re not ready

During our startup accelerator, we aim to support and uplift each of our startups. But it is a lot of work! In just 20 weeks, we help you transform your startup by ironing out the kinks and creating new opportunities for growth. We work with later-stage startups, beyond the MVP level with sufficient traction. So, reflect on whether now is the right time to apply. If not, there’s always next year!

3. Ensure you have the right team

You’ll need at least two dedicated team members to work with the Unleashed Champs to make the most of the programme. One of which should be a founder or a leader in some way. If you’re ready to dive in and make the most of the programme, we’re just as excited to work with you.

Want to know more? Check out this full guide on applying to the Unleashed by Purina Accelerator Programme, and sign up for our newsletter so that you’re ready when enrollment opens for 2026!