Nestlé Purina has launched the fourth iteration of its Unleashed accelerator programme which provides start-up funding for the next generation of pet care businesses.
Now open to new entries from Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Middle East, the 2023 programme is designed to drive the growth of participants, supporting the development of innovative new pet care products. It aims to bring new products and services to the forefront of the industry, particularly data-enabled pet owner and vet services, sustainable novel nutrition and wellbeing technologies.
By the end of the 2023 application process, up to nine chosen start-ups will be accelerated for 20 weeks by Unleashed Champions and industry experts. This will include a structured, fully-funded, mutually-agreed project up to CHF 50,000 (£45,000) to help drive growth.
Since its inception in 2019, Unleashed has had over 600 applications from 50 countries and accelerated 18 start-ups such as Kibus, a home appliance to cook balanced pet food at home based in Spain, Puppyfat, a leading UK app for responsible breeding, and Animoscope, a Telehealth pet-care service provider in France.
Kim Bill, head of the Purina Accelerator Lab, said: “Unleashed is seen as the best-in-class pet specific accelerator and trusted partner of choice for start-ups.
“This is because we have a unique methodology with a team, as well as a whole network of passionate pet-care and pet-tech industry experts to help nurture, support and guide our start-ups towards their business objectives. I look forward to welcoming our 2023 cohort of partners very soon!”
To apply, visit www.unleashedbypurina.com. Applications close on November 30, 2022, with accelerator projects scheduled to start from March 2023.
