AI the driver of innovation

Powered by the Purina Accelerator Lab, the Unleashed programme supports start-ups through a test and learn approach that aims to drive business growth. During the 20-week programme, now in its seventh year, each start-up gets hands-on support to disrupt the market with their innovative pet-care solutions.

Following applications coming from 47 countries opening in the summer, a panel of judges in February shortlisted six start-ups, whose disruptive technologies aim to make pet ownership more seamless and joyful, while enhancing care delivery by veterinarians and pet professionals alike. AI has increasingly become a driver of innovation in the pet-care sector, with four of the winners leveraging technology in their solutions.

AI for Pet from South Korea powers daily veterinary practice with multimodal AI analysis of eyes, skin, teeth, gait, and clinical dialogue for real-time decision making. AI for Pet won Unleashed’s startup competition at the 2025 London Vet Show, where startup founders pitched their pioneering ideas to an expert panel of judges.

Petalife from Hong Kong is an AI-powered preventative pet health platform helping pet owners detect early health risks from everyday photos and videos.

Lassie from Sweden is the world’s first preventative pet insurance, that rewards pet parents for taking better care of their pets.

Petleo from Germany bridges the gap between vets and pet owners with digital tools that simplify workflows and improve animal care and accessibility.

Psinder from Poland helps people find the right dog, supports responsible adoption, and gives shelters the visibility they deserve.

Sistema Pet from Brazil is an all-in-one SaaS management platform for breeders and pet services.

Each winning participant will have access to up to CHF 50,000, alongside cutting-edge resources and hands-on, expert mentorship from Purina’s commercial insights team, helping accelerate their growth throughout the process. Unleashed also seeks to identify synergies with the start-ups and opportunities for long-term partnerships and projects beyond the programme. ‘We’re now seeing AI evolve from a promising capability into a transformative force driving earlier detection of health issues, assisting clinical decision making for veterinarians, and giving pet owners more information and confidence in caring for their pets’, emphasizes Sheri Smithey, Purina global head of research & development.

Unleashed has accelerated 40 start-ups since the programme began in 2019, with this year’s winners bringing the total to 46.