Episode Description
Launched in 2016, the Pet Care Innovation Prize is a competition to support and connect innovative early stage companies that have products and/or services already in market. The PCIP is powered by a global leader in pet care – Nestlé Purina PetCare. On this show, Lorien talks to the leader of the PCIP and the top five finalists for the 2019 prize!
Guest Information
- Adam Hobler - Adam is the Senior Manager of Strategic Planning and Business Development for Nestle Purina. Nestlé Purina believes an innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem is to everyone’s benefit, and that early stage companies and established companies can both benefit from exploring ways to work together. The Pet Care Innovation Prize allows Nestlé Purina to meet and support the early stage companies that they might be working with tomorrow.
- Anna Skaya - Anna Skaya is the founder and CEO of Basepaws (www.basepaws.com) an LA-based startup focused on genetic testing and health monitoring for pets. Think ‘23andMeow’. Basepaws uses exponential technologies such as sequencing and machine learning to help pet owners get to know their pets better through genetics.). Basepaws is at this purr-fect intersection of technology and innovation while servicing a market of young pet parents thirsty for new products. With 65% of all Millennials owning a pet and pet owner habits rapidly changing, Pet Care is ripe for more pawsome ideas. Prior to starting Basepaws in 2016, Anna was the CEO of Groupon Russia where she had full P&L responsibility and helped build one of the fastest-growing companies in the world. She is a 4-time founder and co-founded and sold her first startup when she was 26. She lives in Los Angeles with her little furry monster, Lucifer.
- James Bello - James co-founded Shameless Pets, a company that reduces food waste by using upcycled ingredients to create healthy and delicious pet treats.
- Kevin Li - Kevin Recently made the switch to startup land. He used to be a researcher at AT&T Labs-Research where he worked on creating novel interaction techniques and new device form factors. He still teaches a class on the subject at Columbia University from time to time. He has 15 papers and 36 patents in the mobile space. Kevin founded PlayDate. PlayDate allows pet owners to interact with their pets remotely. Every dog owner wishes they could play with their pet when they're not at home. Our remote controlled ball enables a user to play with their dog from anywhere. A camera inside the ball allows owners to see where the ball is going and their dog, creating a truly interactive way to play.
- Rich Kelleman - Rich is the Founder and CEO of Bond. They reinventing pet nutrition, making dog and cat foods sourced from real animal protein, without the animal. At Bond, they are working with some of the world's most progressive veterinarians, scientists and technologies to understand how to take bigger leaps with pet food. Leaps that can lead to food that's exceptionally cleaner, kinder and nutritious.
- John Dillon - John is the founder of GuardianVets, which is a company that provides after-hours triage for clients of veterinary office over the phone and online.
(Original air date: June 21, 2019)
