Happy 2026! This year, we further our mission of championing pet innovation across the globe by welcoming a fresh set of startups to the Unleashed by Purina Startup Accelerator Programme. 

This year’s cohort spans continents and categories, united by fresh ideas and ambitious visions for the future of pet care. Meet the Class of 2026 and discover what they hope to build during their 20 weeks working alongside the Unleashed team.

Petalife – AI-driven pet health monitoring platform

Hailing from Hong Kong, Petalife is a pet AI startup that helps owners understand their pet’s health through everyday moments. With just a photo or short video, they can track key health signals from stools, urine, vomit and movement.

CEO and Co-founder, Eugene Siu, said, “Unleashed by Purina is one of the few programmes in the world that truly connects startups with real pet brands and real opportunities to commercialise. Purina is a global leader in pet nutrition, and we’re excited to learn from the team, grow our visibility and build solutions that can help more pet owners—starting from our home city, Hong Kong”.

Over the next 20 weeks, Petalife are focusing on real life-validation and using Purina’s knowledge base to hone their technology.

Lassie – preventative pet insurance company

Sweden-based Lassie is a preventive pet insurance company that combines digital coverage with proactive care, therefore helping pet parents keep their cats and dogs healthier for longer.

Carl-Johan Nilsson, Country Manager Sweden and VP of Global Revenue, said, “Lassie and Purina already have an established partnership in Sweden, offering Lassie customers access to Purina’s products at attractive prices. Through Unleashed by Purina, we see an opportunity to take this collaboration to the next level”.

The Lassie team plan to spend the programme developing their in-app features to make preventative pet care even more effortless for pet parents.

Petleo – digital pet health platform connecting vets and pet parents

Petleo is a Germany-based digital pet‑health platform company, optimising veterinary workflows with purpose-built digital tools. Their novel platform provides online appointment booking, pet health records and a pet owner app that helps vets and pet parents communicate. 

Sales Team Lead, Christiane Grund said, “We applied because both Petleo and Purina are committed to improving the relationship between vets and pet owners while making specialised nutrition more accessible”.

Team Petleo will be spending their 20 weeks further developing their platform to meet the needs of vets and their patients.

Psinder – mobile-first dog adoption app

Poland-based mobile dog-adoption platform, Psinder, is on a mission to support responsible adoption and give shelters the visibility they deserve. They approach adoption from two channels. The first is a search-friendly mobile app allowing adopters to get to know the dogs in their local shelters. Secondly, Psinder provides shelters with visibility and a web panel to easily update their profiles. 

CTO, Kamil Tarczynski said, “[Over the next 20 weeks] we would like to build an ecosystem which will support adopters, educate them about responsible dog ownership and support them in the whole journey”.

SistemaPET – breeding management platform

Brazil-based SistemaPET is a management platform designed specifically for professional pet breeders who need structure, control and reliability in their breeding operations. The system centralises animal registration, pedigree and lineage tracking, breeding and litter planning, cost management and client information in a single cloud-based environment, helping breeders replace manual processes.

CEO, Eduardo Antunes said, “By strengthening our internal processes and leveraging Purina’s market reach, we can expand our presence, attract new customers and access new markets”.

Over the next 20 weeks, the SistemaPET team will be working closely with the Purina Breeder Programme to further develop their platform.

AI FOR PET

Korea-based AI FOR PET develops TTCARE, an innovative AI model that accounts for skin, eyes, teeth and gait analysis to support veterinary diagnosis. The company won the Unleashed by Purina pitch competition at the London Vet Show in December 2025, so we’re delighted to see them as part of the 2026 cohort.

Ronnie Hyun, Vice President and CSO, said, “Over the next 20 weeks, we want to create a personalised [pet food] nutrition recommendation programme by mapping together real-time clinical data from vet clinics”.

Could you be next?

As you’ve seen, we collaborate with pet startups across a wide range of categories. If you’re thinking about applying for an upcoming cohort, here are a few key things to keep in mind:

1. Know your metrics

One issue we often spot in applications is unclear or inconsistent market sizing. Before you apply, make sure you can confidently calculate your Total Addressable Market (TAM), Serviceable Available Market (SAM) and Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM). This article breaks it down step by step.

2. Apply at the right stage

Our accelerator is designed to challenge and support founders, but it’s an intensive process. Over 20 weeks, we work closely with each startup to strengthen their model and unlock new growth opportunities. The programme is best suited to businesses that are past MVP stage and already showing traction. Take a moment to assess whether this is the right time for you. If not, there’s always a future cohort to aim for.

3. Make sure your team is set up for success

To get full value from the programme, you’ll need at least two committed team members involved—ideally including a founder or senior decision-maker. The more energy and focus you bring, the more you’ll gain from working with the Unleashed by Purina Champs.

Curious to learn more? Read our full guide to applying for the Unleashed by Purina Accelerator Programme, and subscribe to our newsletter so you’re ready when applications open for the 2026 cohort.