Six new pet care businesses from across Europe and North Africa will partner with Purina to support the development of new products and services.

These companies will be part of Purina’s Unleashed, Europe’s first and only pet care accelerator program. The selected winners are eniferBio, Finland; MOA Foodtech, Spain; knok, Portugal; Kibus, Spain; Feragen, Austria; and Vetwork, Egypt. They were chosen from more than 150 applicants across 28 countries.

Demand for better, more sustainable solutions for pets is on the rise, partially driven by growing pet ownership during the global pandemic. Two of this year’s winners are working on introducing alternative proteins to pet diets to create new, sustainable recipes. Others are focused on advancing the quality of life for pets through new digital solutions, and on improving veterinary care and well-being.

“After a global pandemic, the number of pet owners and animal lovers worldwide is greater than ever, and the industry is responding by accelerating its innovation, offering greener, smarter and better solutions than ever before,” says Jeff Hamilton, CEO at Nestlé Purina PetCare in Europe.

Kim Bill, head of the Purina Accelerator Lab, says, “We are delighted to welcome such an extraordinary group of innovators into the 2022 cohort. Just like Purina, these businesses are driven to innovate and challenge the industry through technology and data-driven solutions. While the next six months will be busy, we cannot wait to see what they will build.”