CleverPet

It seems it's raining cat and dog deals in startupland.

That’s because VCs are pouring money into pet-related startups. And they’re doing so at a record pace. According to research firm Pitchbook, as of August 2021, VC-backed pet companies have raised more than $1.1 billion — already a new one-year high.

Why are they so keen on this market? Simple. It’s massive… and growing fast.

According to an analysis by Global Market Insights, pet care is a $232 billion global market. By 2027, this market is projected to reach upwards of $350 billion.

53% of American households own dogs. And most consider these dogs a part of the family. The problem is that communication isn’t always easy. After all, pets don’t speak our language — until now.

CleverPet is a pet-technology startup that enables dogs, cats, and other household animals not only to express themselves, but also to be understood by humans.

As the company says, “Your dog has a lot to say — our technology gives them a voice.”

This technology is presented in a system called FluentPet. Picture a giant floor puzzle made up of a series of tiles. And each tile has assorted, customizable buttons with various requests and responses. For example, there are buttons labeled “Yes,” “No,” “Car,” “Outside,” “Food,” and “Ball.”

Users record the word or phrase that corresponds with each button. Then, they teach their pets to use these words by pressing the buttons when performing meaningful actions (e.g., pressing “Outside” when going outside). Over time, animals learn to press the buttons on their own.

You may have seen the FluentPet system in action before. It’s used by Bunny, a “talking” dog with nearly seven million followers on the social media platform TikTok.

This system is based on neuroscience-aligned hexagonal organization and inspired by the brain’s collection of cells — specifically, place cells and grid cells.

Place cells activate the hippocampus, a part of the brain that plays a major role in learning and memory. Grid cells, meanwhile, are located in the entorhinal cortex, part of the brain that’s a hub for memory, navigation, and perception of time.

In 2014, the discovery of these cells was awarded the Nobel Prize of Physiology or Medicine. Now it’s used to help teach pets to communicate with their owners in the form of CleverPet’s language learning system.

CleverPet sells its FluentPet system direct-to-customers through its website. Pending additional inventory, it plans to partner with retailers to sell its product in stores.

There are three versions of the FluentPet system available:

“Get Started,” which features three tiles and six buttons, retails for $79.95.

“Basic Vocal” has six tiles and 12 buttons, and sells for $129.95.

And “They Can Talk” has 10 tiles and 32 buttons, and retails for $229.95.

CleverPet has sold more than 40,000 FluentPet systems and is a profitable business. As of June 2021, the company had an annual run rate of $3.3 million.

The company has received $2 million in funding from investors including Ruvento Ventures, Techstars, Asimov Ventures, and EvoNexus. And it’s been involved in a major research collaboration that was featured in The New York Times.

CleverPet is now working on a mobile app, which will enable customers to track and share their animals’ progress. It’s also investing in multiple patents and trademarks.

Team Background

Gabriella Smith - Cognitive Science Researcher

Gabriella has an extensive background in animal behavioral science.

She began her career at Boston University, where she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Biology and then spent time as a researcher on the habits of various insects and animals.

From there, she was a lab manager at Harvard, working in the school’s Pepperberg Lab of Avian Cognition. After that, she spent time at Barnard College, focusing on overseeing dog-related cognition research projects.

More recently, Gabriella attended Hunter College, where she obtained her Master’s degree in Animal Behavior and conducted additional behavioral research projects. She joined CleverPet in May 2021.

Leo Trottier - Founder & CEO

Leo is a scientist who studied cognitive science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Toronto. From there, he attended the University of California, San Diego, where he earned a Master’s degree and Ph.D. in Cognitive Science.

After spending four years as Managing Editor of Scholarpedia, an education company, he started CleverPet in 2014.

Jelmer Tiete - Hardware and Manufacturing Lead

Prior to joining CleverPet, Jelmer spent seven years as an engineer with beyond.io, an engineering company that partners with emerging startups to build and scale their ideas.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in Electronics, as well as a Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences.

Co-Investors

TechStars

Prominent accelerator for tech companies. Investments include Uber, ClassPass and Twilio.

Asimov Ventures

A VC firm investing in early-stage companies, particularly those with a focus on robotics and 3D printing.

EvoNexus

An incubator who's invested in more than 230 companies and had nearly 30 successful "exits."