Mars Petcare Launches New Accelerator and $100M Venture Fund

Mars Petcare, a Brussels, Belgium-based pet nutrition and health care business, has launched two new programs to support startup innovation in the pet care industry.

In details, the two programs are:
Leap Venture Studio, launched in partnership with Michelson Found Animals and R/GA, is an accelerator focused on the future of pet care, and
Companion Fund, a $100m venture capital fund launched in partnership with Digitalis Ventures.

Leap will foster early stage pet care startups by providing mentorship from industry executives and leaders in science, veterinary health and pet advocacy, access to partners, and the opportunity to secure funding from Mars Petcare, Michelson Found Animals and the broader venture capital community.
Applications for Leap opened on March 7, 2018, and admissions will roll throughout the year. The first program module will commence at the end of July and will conclude with a Demo Day in fall 2018.
Leap Venture is open to companies at a variety of stages, from pre-seed to seed to Series A, and business models including B2B and B2C.
The 2018 Leap Venture Studio areas of Interest and Technology include:
– Pet Nutrition and Wellness
– Pet Health and Medical
– Pet Diagnostics
– Solutions/Platforms/Services for Pet Owners/Vets
– AI and Machine Learning
– Advanced Analytics
– Connected Products and Spaces
– Genetics.

Companion Fund will provide startup capital and support to entrepreneurs addressing the needs of pets, pet owners and vets. The fund will focus primarily on the investment opportunities in Digital Health, Diagnostics, Nutrition and Services, and will explore new areas of need.
Digitalis Ventures has offices in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles and London.

FinSMEs

09/03/2018

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