A pet care startup accelerator designed to remove obstacles and propel your business forward.

Despite the emergence of major companies in the space, pet care startups still struggle to secure investment, and find support as they scale. The Leap Venture Studio & Academy is one of the first programs designed to ignite impactful growth for pet care startups.

About Us

We believe in cultivating collaboration. The Leap partnership between Mars Petcare, TAW Ventures, and Michelson Found Animals allows us to amplify connections and impact through our combined global networks. Our goal is to bring petcare companies together to not only learn from the experts but each other.

Leap Funding Landscape

idea

mvp

pre-seed

early revenue

seed

revenue

seed+

repeatable
revenue

series a

scale

series b

Leap venture studio

Leap venture Academy

series a/b funding

Week 1

idea

Leap venture Academy
Week 2

mvp

Leap venture Academy
Week 3

early revenue

Leap venture studio

Leap venture Academy
Week 4

revenue

Leap venture studio
Week 5

repeatable
revenue

Leap venture studio

series a/b funding
Week 6

scale

series a/b funding

Leap venture Academy

Your new team…

Mars Petcare believes pets make our world better, that’s why they are dedicated to making: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS. Through comprehensive veterinary care, nutrition, breakthrough programs in diagnostics, wearable health monitoring, DNA testing and pet welfare, their 100,000 Petcare Associates help pets in more than 130 countries.

Mars Petcare supports the industry’s boldest new ideas and startups by leveraging resources, capabilities and data in one place, one platform. It is focused on spring-boarding innovation in the pet care space and is making the lives of pets and their owners better.

Mars Petcare's deep knowledge of pet wellness is unparalleled. Their team of industry experts are there to support you each step of the way. We will match you with the right specialist for your company’s needs.

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TAW Ventures, founded by Jane Lauder, strategically invests in innovative brands led by passionate founders who are redefining pet health, wellness, and longevity—ultimately enhancing the health span of pets and enriching the lives of the people who cherish them. TAW believes purpose-driven capital is the key to unlocking scalable and sustainable impact. The firm’s focus is on companies that are raising industry standards and delivering the very best for companion animals across every stage of life. Each investment is thoughtfully tailored to the unique needs of the founder and brand, with the goal of fueling sustainable growth and long-term success.

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Michelson Found Animals Foundation is a leading animal welfare non-profit organization working at the nexus of pets, people and policy. With a mission of saving pets and enriching lives, Michelson Found Animals combines social entrepreneurship, innovative philanthropy, thought leadership and investment to accelerate pet startups to improve the lives of pets and their people. Since its inception in 2005, Michelson Found Animals has helped more than 5 million pets.

To support portfolio companies focused on any aspect of animal welfare, Michelson Found Animals will connect your team with new partners to advance both your goals and that of the animal rescue community.

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The leadership behind Leap

Rachel Sheppard

Ventures Director, Mars Petcare

Ben Jacobs

Advisor, Digitalis Ventures

Phil Kim

Managing Director, Michelson Impact Ventures

Isabel Havens

Open Innovation Program Operations Manager, Mars

Zachary Schultz

Senior Investment Associate, Michelson Impact Ventures

Jane Lauder

Founder and Managing Director, TAW Ventures

Shannon Karches

Chief Financial Officer, TAW Ventures

Scout Colomes

Manager, Events & Operations, TAW Ventures

Isabelle Topper

Director, Communications & PR , TAW Ventures

Beth Spruance Bennett

VP of Brand Marketing, TAW Ventures

Upcoming Events

Virtual

Leap Venture Studio Cohort 10 Information Session

February 12, 2026 9am to 10am EST

Join us for a virtual webinar to learn more about the Leap Venture Studio Cohort 10 application and have your questions answered.

Leap Venture Studio, the world’s first and largest pet care startup accelerator, is accepting applications for its tenth Studio program from now until March 29th.

Building on insights from nine successful cohorts as well as the expertise of a new partner, TAW Ventures, Cohort 10 programming has been designed to help founders scale their impact in 2026 and beyond.

Join us for a virtual webinar to learn more about the progrm details, partners, and benefits. We’ll also save time for Q&A to answer any questions about the application.

If you have any techincal difficulties, email us at leapventurestudio@gmail.com.

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/96792600471?pwd=QdvIIuedffmacQgQfub0J7qJa5qT8T.1&jst=2

RSVP For Event

Virtual

Leap Venture Studio Cohort 10 Information Session

February 11, 2026 5pm to 6pm EST

Join us for a virtual webinar to learn more about the Leap Venture Studio Cohort 10 application and have your questions answered.

Leap Venture Studio, the world’s first and largest pet care startup accelerator, is accepting applications for its tenth Studio program from now until March 29th.

Join us for a virtual webinar to learn more about the progrm details, partners, and benefits. We’ll also save time for Q&A to answer any questions about the application.

If you have any technical difficulties, email us at leapventurestudio@gmail.com.

Link to Zoom:

Join Zoom Meeting
ID: 98176078624
‪(US) +1 507-473-4847‬

RSVP For Event

Event Calendar

A pet care startup accelerator designed to remove obstacles and propel your business forward.

About Us

Leap Funding Landscape

Your new team…

The leadership behind Leap

Upcoming Events

Leap Venture Studio Cohort 10 Information Session

Leap Venture Studio Cohort 10 Information Session

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