The Leap Venture Studio blog series is back after completing an exclusive studio program for early-stage European pet care startups. In September 2022, seven early-stage pet care startups joined the program for 12-weeks to accelerate their ventures. During this time, the companies worked with experts from Mars Petcare, Michelson Found Animals, and R/GA Ventures and received venture capital investment, mentorship, and customized programming tailored to meet their needs.

Moggie (London, UK) is the world’s first chat communication & health device for cats that translates actions and behavior into human dialogue and understanding.

Ali Ganjavian, Founder & CEO

Tell us about your startup

Ali: Moggie is a pet-tech data company that’s focused exclusively on cat health. We’ve created the first cat-only health wearable that gives pet owners the ability to monitor and improve their cat’s wellbeing while building a more emotional connection with their cat. We translate physical cat data into simple AI based insights for cat parents.

By monitoring your cat’s activity over a period of time in one place, Moggie can help vets more quickly uncover up to 80% of illnesses that can be detected through subtle changes in activity, such as diabetes, osteoarthritis, liver disease, stress, depression and much more. This enables earlier detection and treatment to reduce any potential suffering while also improving the overall health and life expectancy of your cat.

How has your startup made a difference for pets?

Ali: Our vision is to create the largest global live repository of cat data to contribute to an overall improvement in cat welfare everywhere. We’ve taken a giant leap for catkind in transforming cat behavior data into actionable insights.

What are the greatest challenges you’ve faced as a startup founder and how have you overcome them?

Ali: The hardest challenges we’ve faced have been in the quest for balance; between scientific research and creating an accessible, inclusive product bringing meaningful user engagement.

Pet parents are faced with so many decisions and are looking for ways to better their relationships with their furry friends. What Moggie is doing is bringing owners the deep health insights and a stronger emotional engagement — which is unfamiliar territory in the underserved cat space. Bringing pet parents this clarity has been very complex and challenging.

What is your biggest take away from the Leap Venture Studio?

Ali: My biggest takeaway from the program is that because Moggie is a data-driven insights company, we’ll be able to explore ways to make connections with different plays in the pet ecosystem. We’ve had the chance to get introduced to various companies, networks, and mentors that can guide us to be at the center of this ecosystem, have meaningful interactions with the different players, and receive feedback to improve our service and product offerings for our users.

What do you think the future of pet care looks like?

Ali: We see a future where pet parents have product and service experiences that work to better the pet and pet parent relationship with deeper understanding and options.

Moggie is gearing up for launch in the first half of 2023 and is excited to build a community of cat people who are looking to join them on the journey.

To learn more about Moggie, visit their website.

Check out Moggie’s pitch at the Leap Venture Studio Cohort 6 Demo Day that was held on December 15, 2022. If you are interested in connecting with their team, email us at leapventurestudio@gmail.com.