On 7 October 2025, Unleashed by Purina brought the Pet Tech community together in Bengaluru, India, for our first-ever Pet Tech Meetup.

From startup founders to seasoned investors, the room buzzed with conversations about the future of pet care in the region.

With expert talks, live pitching and plenty of networking, it was one of our most dynamic and insightful gatherings to date.

Why Bengaluru?

India’s pet care industry reached $3.6 billion in 2024 and is expected to double by 2028. Hubert Weiser, CEO of Nestlé Purina PetCare AOA, has even called India the “last pet mega market”.
With such rapid growth, establishing an Unleashed by Purina community here felt like a natural next step.

Jeanne Chatelle, Purina Accelerator Lab EU Lead, said, “India’s pet care market is transforming fast, and there’s huge potential here. At Unleashed, our mission is to build the pet tech community and help shape the future of pet care through innovation and partnership”.

Bengaluru was the obvious choice as India’s tech capital and home to a thriving population of pet parents. It was the ideal meeting point for innovators, investors and entrepreneurs shaping the future of the region’s pet ecosystem across India and MENA.

Inside our Pet Tech meetup in Bengaluru

The day opened with a formal welcome from Unleashed by Purina and our partners, DSG Consumer Partners. As 66 founders and 34 investors gathered in the room, the atmosphere buzzed with anticipation.

The first session, a fireside chat between Hubert Weiser, CEO of Nestlé Purina PetCare AOA, and Anurag Mathur, Partner at Bain & Company, explored the biggest trends shaping India’s pet industry today.

Building on that discussion, Pallavi Anand, Business Head at Nestlé Purina PetCare South Asia, hosted an investor panel featuring Nader Amiri (Homegrown Ventures), Prayag Mohanty (Fireside Ventures) and Akash Desai (LCatterton). Together, they discussed the evolution of the sector across India and MENA, offering practical advice on how startups can attract investors.

Before lunch, we raised the energy with a quick fire open mic round, giving startups and investors the chance to introduce themselves in under a minute. 

One of the day’s highlights was the pitch competition, featuring six promising startups: The Pet Nest, Absolut Pet, Pettle, Smylo, Sploot and PawsIndia. Judges Amrita Barthakur (Saama), Deepak Shahdadpuri (DSG Consumer Partners) and Manish Tiwary (Nestlé India Limited) praised the quality and creativity of each pitch.

After lunch, Hariharan Premkumar, Managing Director and Head of India at DSG Consumer Partners, led a conversation with Vineet Khanna (Supertails) and Abhishek Agrawal (Smylo) on what it takes to build a viable pet-care startup in today’s India, which was an inspiring session for aspiring founders.

The event closed with a series of shorter panels covering key themes:

• Investment and internationalisation, with Akash Desai (LCatterton) and Nader Amiri (Homegrown Ventures)
• Corporate partnerships, featuring Hubert Weiser (Nestlé Purina) and Ashish Vijay (Nestlé SA)
• Early-stage fundraising, with Vineet Khanna (Supertails) and Abhishek Agrawal (Smylo)
• Brand storytelling, with Pooja Shirali (DSGCP) and Satyajit Bagchi (Purina India)

Throughout the day, the energy of community and learning shone through, making this one of our most dynamic meetups to date.

Key insights from India and MENA’s Pet Tech pioneers

The day’s sessions offered a wealth of perspectives; from investors on securing funding to Purina leadership on how corporates can collaborate with startups. It was a rare opportunity for founders to learn directly from the people shaping the future of pet care in India and MENA.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

India is the last pet mega market in the making

India’s pet care sector is still nascent, with most owners being first-time pet parents, but it’s expanding at a remarkable speed.

Speakers, including Anurag Mathur (Bain & Company) and Pallavi Anand (Nestlé Purina PetCare South Asia), noted that pets are increasingly seen as family members, and adoption rates remain steady, even after the pandemic boom.

As this cultural shift toward companionship deepens, the category is poised for rapid growth over the next five to ten years.

Cats could overtake dogs 

During the opening fireside chat with Hubert Weiser, CEO of Nestlé Purina PetCare AOA, he mentioned his hot take:

“Though dogs still dominate today in terms of numbers, my hypothesis is that, ultimately, cats will rule in India”.

The data appears to back him up. Cat adoption in India is rising dramatically compared to dog adoption. As more people live alone and in smaller urban spaces, cats are increasingly seen as the more convenient companion.

Abhishek Agrawal, co-founder of Smylo, added that around 60% of quick-commerce pet care sales now come from cat food and related products.

It’s a sign that cat-first startups, like Smylo, are entering their moment.

Awareness of nutrition and care is one of the biggest challenges

A recurring theme throughout the day was the low level of awareness around proper nutrition and care among Indian pet parents.

Anurag Mathur, Partner at Bain & Company, noted that, “as we begin to see pets as members of the family, there’s often an attitude of what’s best for me is best for my pet”.

He and other speakers emphasised the importance of building communities around brands to educate owners and close this knowledge gap. This is an essential step for the long-term growth of India’s pet care market.

India’s size and diversity are assets

While fragmentation remains a major challenge for service-based apps, India’s regional diversity also presents a unique opportunity. Each city and state operates almost like its own market. Many “little Indias” within one nation.

Several speakers noted that this complexity can actually make scaling simpler in the long run. With such a vast and varied home base, India’s next pet care unicorn might not need to look abroad to achieve global scale. It could reach that milestone right at home.

Investors are more receptive than ever to pet care startups

In earlier years, the pet care industry was often seen as a passion project rather than a proven business opportunity.

As Vineet Khanna, co-founder of Supertails, put it: “Before, the pet care space was emotionally loved, but there were doubts about whether it was commercially proven. Investors used to ask, ‘Is the market large enough?’ Now they ask, ‘Who will win the market?’”

That shift in mindset is opening doors for new founders. Speakers advised entrepreneurs to focus their pitches on a clear vision and purpose, while demonstrating why their team is uniquely positioned to make that vision a reality.

Introducing our pitch competition winners

At each Unleashed by Purina event, we continue our tradition of hosting a pitch competition. This is an opportunity to spotlight emerging startups and connect founders directly with investors in the pet care space.

Applications opened a few months ahead of the event, and the response was overwhelming; more than 50 startups applied, with six selected to pitch on the day.

The finalists were The Pet Nest, Absolut Pet, Pettle, Smylo, Sploot and PawsIndia. While all six impressed the judges, Absolut Pet was named the winner, with Smylo as the runner-up.

Here’s a closer look at both startups.

Absolut Pet – winner

Absolut Pet is a pet supplement company offering ‘paw-licking good’ chews to boost your pet’s health. They’ve served over 60,000 pets with excellent customer feedback and a clear vision for future expansion. 

Smylo – runner up

Smylo is a preservative-free cat food brand made with fresh meat, superfoods and herbs. Though they’ve only been around since 2024, the company has achieved great milestones through DTC and e-commerce channels.

We’re excited to see what’s next for both Absolut Pet and Smylo in the coming years!

Nurturing the next generation of India’s pet startups

Our first-ever meetup in Bengaluru proved that the Unleashed by Purina mission truly extends beyond borders. By nurturing local talent and fostering collaboration, we’re helping to shape the next phase of India’s growing pet care market.

A heartfelt thank you to all the founders and investors who joined us, and to our partners at DSG Consumer Partners for making this event possible.

We can’t wait to return to the MENA region and continue building a stronger, more connected global pet tech community.

To stay up to date on future events, subscribe to our OffLeashed newsletter.