16/17 October 2024 | Brussels
Mrs Bill, you run the Unleashed programme at Purina. What is the programme about?
The Unleashed by Purina programme is a landmark pet tech start-up accelerator, designed to identify and champion disruptive start-ups that are using technology to enrich the lives of pets. We launched Unleashed 2020 as the first start-up accelerator program in Europe to focus on innovative business ideas in the pet industry. Now start-ups worldwide can apply for the 5-month funding program. But our ambition with Unleashed has always been to do more than just set up an accelerator. At our flagship accelerator programme, selected start-ups have the opportunity to develop and grow with the full force of Purina behind them. Over 20 weeks, our passionate team of industry-leading pet tech experts nurture, support and mentor our start-up founders towards achieving their goals. Strategic support and access to Purina’s vast industry knowledge are the cornerstones of our programme. Other Unleashed events, like our talks, newsletters and Pet Tech meet ups build the leading network for start-ups and investors in our industry. With our Unleashed start-up events we want to give start-ups a stage and enable an exchange with investors. The aim of these events is to build an active pet start-up community, to exchange knowledge about relevant technologies of the future and to jointly develop innovative solutions for pets and their owners.
What was the reason for Purina to set up such a programme?
Purina is constantly evolving from a pet food manufacturer to an all-round pet care provider. Today, pet owners expect more from us than just excellent products. For example, they need innovative services and digital platforms to make living with their pets as carefree as possible. What better way to achieve that in the pet industry than to partner with start-ups with revolutionary ideas? With Unleashed, we are expanding our pet ecosystem and learning together with start-ups. We believe that strong partnerships between large companies like Purina and start-ups are an important innovation driver for our business and can significantly contribute to better products and services for pets and the people who love them. We have the resources, the founders bring their ingenuity. Together, we accelerate innovative ideas in the pet industry that will change the future of pet care.
What are the criteria for a start-up that you want to work with more closely?
First and foremost we're looking for technological solutions to pet parents' problems that are relevant, scalable and sustainable business ideas for a happy and healthy life with dogs and cats. We pay particular attention to sustainability and new technology solutions. Next, we're looking for market viability. Of course, many start-ups are at an early stage with just a minimum viable product and a dream. However, during the application process, start-ups need to present a strong business model with a target audience and a plan to scale. During the programme, we help them refine their product-market fit, but we need to see the potential before we award them a place.
Geographically, we're focusing on pet tech start-ups based in Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, Oceania and Latin America (for now). Finally, it is very important that the founders and their team share Purina's values and passion, are open to test and learn experiment and commit sufficient resources and time to our projects. The start-ups we have supported range from cell-based fish to digital services that connect pet owners with local pet sitters.
On Linkedin, you describe how you form annual classes with a select number of startups and how Purina Unleashed Champs work with the start-ups. What does this collaboration look like? What do you teach the start-ups?
Every collaboration is different. That's why we only take on up to 10 start-ups a year; we want to get to know each one so that we can tailor our support to their specific needs. Some start-ups are quite early in their development, so we may focus on business model implementation and in-depth market research. In our 2024 cohort, one of our winners, Pet Instincts, had developed an intelligent remote pet care system that allowed owners to monitor and calm their pets at home from their mobile phones. However, they didn't have a fully developed prototype. So we worked with them to build their first batch of products and conduct crucial trials in test homes. Other start-ups have validated concepts and an established customer base. For them, we might focus on refining their branding, scaling their reach and increasing sales. For example, Pezz Life, another 2024 winner, sells at-home diagnostic kits for pet parents who want a complete picture of their pet's health. With them, our Unleashed team focused on deepening their market research to identify their core audience and developing another marketing channel with personalised product recommendations for customers after receiving their pet's test results. As you can see, we tailor our support to help each start-up get the most out of their partnership with Unleashed.
In your opinion, what qualities does a start-up need to have in order to be successful on the market?
Number one is a great founding team. Without a great captain at the helm of a business, it’s difficult to steer the ship in the right direction. We look for founders with vision, business acumen and who are transparent and grounded in reality. Next is a solid business plan. This doesn’t need to be complicated as, of course, start-ups change. However, the founders need to know the value proposition of their product, their target audience, a foundational marketing strategy and a plan to scale. The best start-ups are agile and experimental. They need to keep iterating every aspect of their business to make it as appealing as possible to their consumer. I’ve seen so many start-ups approach common pet owners’ complaints in mind-blowing ways. For example, one of our alumnis, Feragen provides genetic testing for breeders to improve the health of purebreeds. Given that poor breeding practices are a global issue, we could immediately see how Feragen’s product could be a welcomed disruptor in the industry and therefore a great strategic fit for Unleashed. The ability to take on constructive feedback to improve their business practices is also a key factor in a start-up’s success.
To what extent do you think start-ups are helping to make the pet industry fit for the future?
The pet industry has always been very innovation-driven and remains growth-oriented. We see that many start-ups are working on pet-related solutions. I think start-ups are leading the way when it comes to the pet industry. As we see the rise of AI technologies, start-ups will be at the forefront of shaping that technology to improve the lives of pets. Fortunately, the pet industry is ripe for innovation and pet parents are very receptive to it. I remember when pet monitoring cameras were new and very expensive. Now, they’re expected to reach a 93.5 mio dollars market share by 2033. The pet world is ready for revolutionary tech and start-ups are the pioneers. The pet market continues to grow and is an attractive business environment for founders. We are convinced that start-ups are an important driver of innovation for our business and can contribute significantly to better products and services for pets and the people who love them.
In light of your collaboration with so many start-ups and their sometimes disruptive ideas, how do you think the pet industry will change in the coming years?
The global size of the pet care market hit 246.66 bn dollars in 2023 as pet ownership shifts into pet parenthood. Because of that, I see start-ups catering more to the anxieties that come with pet ownership. This results in a major shift towards convenience and preventative care. Worried about getting your pup to the vet when they’re sick? An app will connect you to a licensed vet in minutes. Need to find a sitter, walker or groomer? All of that will be at your fingertips. Start-ups are pioneering at-home pet health care too, which gives pet owners more control over their pets’ long-term wellness. Another big change is the rise in AI technology. We’ve seen AI start-ups in our programme since the beginning of Unleashed, but now it’s at a whole new level of sophistication. For instance, Zumvet, a 2024 alum from Singapore, helps pet owners triage emergency situations before a physical consultation is required. During the acceleration programme we developed an AI tool to help vets and pet owners understand the nutritional needs of pets for health. I can’t wait to see how start-ups will shape the future of pet care with AI. Sustainable concepts also continue to gain in importance – starting with recyclable packaging and extending to new ingredients, such as alternative proteins.
What do start-ups do with Purina itself? To what extent does your company benefit from ongoing cooperation with newcomer companies?
The partnership with Purina is the foundation of our programme. Apart from having access to our experts, data and customer reach, we also help startups implement mutually beneficial initiatives. With most of our start-ups, we continue with commercial collaborations with our local markets. An example is Animoscope from France, a 2021 alum. We have integrated Animoscope’s vet-validated symptom checker, called Vetocheck on the Purina France website, providing pet owners peace of mind on the health of their pet. With Vetchip from Australia, a 2022 alum, with a smart implantable biochip, we have continued working through an R&D collaboration. Another way we continue working together, if there is a strategic fit, is the Unleashed Business Incubator programme. After completing the Unleashed Start-up Accelerator programme, we invite the start-ups to apply for more support and investment from Purina. We have three start-ups who are in this programme, and the objective is to ‘prove the business’ for both. Our goal is to continue collaborations with our start-ups and to capture the synergies we can bring to each other.
Please give one or more examples of innovations that Purina has brought to its own business as a result of working with start-ups.
The idea of the Unleashed programme is not to “steal” ideas from start-ups to develop our own innovations, but to help them grow with their own ideas, learn together and collectively influence the growth of the industry. At Purina, we love working with start-ups because they show us ways to innovate that we could never have imagined. For example, launching virtual dog treats was not on our 2024 bingo card, but Dogami, one of our 2023 Unleashed alumni, made it happen. With Dogami, a web3 gaming start-up from Switzerland, we launched the first virtual Purina DogSnax in the Dogami Academy. Two weeks after launch, without any paid media support, we managed to create buzz with more than 28 mio views on the #PURINADOGASNAX hashtag used across the X platform (Twitter) and the trailer had 30 000 views on YouTube. It's not just that we're accelerating the start-ups' growth, it's also an opportunity for us to learn new ways to reach our global consumer base.
For many start-ups, the question arises as to whether they should remain independent and autonomous or whether they should look for a financially strong investor to help them expand and scale up. Do you help start-ups make this decision?
This is a great question. Because the Purina partnership is such a key element of the Unleashed programme, we attract start-ups who want corporate investment to expand and scale. However, I will say that the decision to remain independent is very personal. I would encourage every start-up founder to think about their ultimate goals for the business and the best route to achieve those goals. In some cases, it’s pretty impossible to even get started with your business idea without investment. One of our 2024 winners, Arbiom, has developed a viable meat alternative for pet food. To produce, test and distribute a product like that would be difficult to do completely bootstrapped. That said, Lily’s Kitchen, the British natural pet food company, was bootstrapped by the founder back in 2008 and the business grew through word-of-mouth and independent pet business partnerships. Nestlé Purina Petcare then acquired Lily’s Kitchen in 2020 and took the brand to the next level. To me, partnering with a corporation or strong investor gives start-ups the resources to get where they want to go. If you want to release a product or service that can improve the lives of millions of pets, seeking strategic investment is one of the best ways to do it.
The aim of the Unleashed events is to build an active pet start-up community, share knowledge about relevant future technologies and to jointly develop innovative solutions for pets and their owners.
In the time since the Unleashed programme has been running, have you noticed that the start-ups themselves have changed or that their focus has shifted?
The range of business ideas and models has evolved with increasing digitalisation. Today, it is no longer primarily about new pet food products, but about a wide range of personalised services and digital solutions. Our industry has always been very innovation-driven - but the speed at which new business models come to market has increased significantly. I think we're all aware of the 2020 pet care boom and the subsequent plateau. Even Purina has felt that plateau coming from 2023 and going into 2024. The start-ups have had to react and think about how to future-proof their businesses with the fluctuating pet market. I also think the move towards pet parenting is having an impact on the way start-ups are approaching their branding. More of them are tapping into messaging around pets as family, which is a fascinating shift.
What are your future plans for Unleashed? How would you like to develop the programme?
There is so much potential because the start-up space is so dynamic. Nothing is ever constant – new technologies, AI, computer vision and so much more. We started in Europe and have now expanded globally to include Asia, Oceania, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. We have also curated a growing community of investors who recognise that pet care is a high-growth and profitable market. We learn every year and continually improve our methods and activities to ensure we add value for both start-ups and investors. In the process, we also develop the Purina employees who participate in our programme, whom we call Unleashed Champs, and equip them for the future.
Kim Bill at the International Pet Conference
Kim Bill is head of the Purina Accelerator Lab in Vevey (Switzerland) and leads the Unleashed programme at Purina. Her passion is building the pet tech community to continuously innovate the pet care industry, making pet ownership meaningful and enjoyable. Her background in both science and business facilitates her job as a super-connector, to bring value to both start-ups and Purina. Kim Bill will have a one-to-one discussion with moderator Ralf Majer-Abele at the International Pet Conference in Brussels.
Kim Bill