LONDON — On Sept. 20, Leap Venture Studio announced the seven startups participating in its European cohort, including three pet nutrition startups: Marleybones, People who kaer and Petty Well. The selected startups will participate in a 12-week program from Sept. 26 to Dec. 15.

Formed in partnership with Mars Petcare, animal welfare organization Michelson Found Animals and services platform R/GA Ventures, the program will occur online and in-person in London.

With pet ownership rising in Europe, according to Leap Venture Studio, the accelerator program has chosen seven pet care startups that are driving innovation in sustainability, senior pet care, digitalization of pet care, pet mental health, cat health care and premium nutrition.

“This year we are thrilled to be working for the first time with a region-specific group — in the early stages, companies are built by the ecosystems around them, and we’re excited to dive deeply into the European pet care ecosystem,” said Rachel Sheppherd, director of ventures at Mars Petcare. “Pet parenting challenges pivot around geographical, social, and cultural complexities; these can best be solved by those who empathize with these problems. Leap aims to back those companies who are bringing innovative solutions to the European market and beyond.”

London-based Marleybones is a subscription service offering a range of customizable, sustainable dog food. The startup offers gently cooked, fresh food formulated based on a dog’s age, weight, activity level, body condition and amount of treats given. The recipes are available in many protein options, including chicken, salmon, lamb and beef.

Marleybones also offers dog food toppers packed with superfoods and targeting specific health concerns in dogs, like joint, dental and gut health, as well as training treats and an Omega Boosting Oil Topper.

Source: People who kaer

Hamburg, Germany-based People who kaer offers supplements for dogs targeting specific health conditions, including joint, immune, skin and coat health, formulated with functional ingredients like collagen, Green Lipped Mussel, Biotin, probiotics and more.

The startup also carries a line of freeze-dried dog treats made from animal meat like lamb lung, chicken hearts, bovine udder, horse muscle and others.

Paris-based Petty Well offers a subscription service of natural pet meals. The startup formulates its dog and cat meals based on a pet’s age, weight, allergies, specific needs and more. All recipes are gluten- and grain-free and feature 41% protein, including 89% sourced from animals.

Source: Petty Well

Alongside the pet nutrition companies, BorrowMyDoggy, HiPets, Moggie and Rex will participate in Leap Venture’s accelerator.

During the accelerator program, the startups will achieve their milestones through the help of business strategists, technologists, designers and consultants from the Leap Venture Studio team. All startup founders will receive $200,000, mentorship and support to gain future fundraising. The founders will also pitch their startups to investors from Mars, Michelson Found Animals and R/GA.

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