For pet-care founders, learning how to get funding from Leap Venture Studio is close to mandatory homework: it is the world’s first and largest pet-care startup accelerator, led by Mars Petcare with TAW Ventures and the Michelson Found Animals Foundation. The flagship is a 12-week hybrid accelerator — founders in Bengaluru, Mumbai or Delhi NCR can take part without relocating — and selected startups receive a $200,000 USD venture capital investment, expert mentorship, and direct access to industry leaders across the pet-care ecosystem.

Investment thesis

The numbers: 63 companies backed across 10 cohorts in 17 markets (per CB Insights); Cohort 10 drew more than 300 applications from over 40 countries. The program pairs each startup with mentors and entrepreneurs-in-residence, helps with operations, brand and marketing, and ends with investor access across Mars Petcare, TAW Ventures and Michelson Found Animals. One place in each cohort is reserved for an Impact Seat — awarded on a company’s positive effect on the pet-care ecosystem, with non-profits eligible; past holders include myBalto Foundation, BestyBnB and Petcademy.

Sectors, stages and cheque size

Leap Venture Studio focuses on pet nutrition and wellness, pet health and medical, pet diagnostics, solutions and platforms for pet owners and vets, AI and machine learning, connected products. Stage: pre-seed to Series A, B2B and B2C; global, hybrid format. Investment: $200K USD per startup (per Mars Petcare’s announcement); 12-week hybrid program.

Notable portfolio

  • SoluPet — cognition supplement for older dogs — Cohort 10, pachronicle.com
  • LymeAlert — 15-minute tick infection test kit — Cohort 10, pachronicle.com
  • Grub Club — insect-protein dog food — Cohort 10, pachronicle.com
  • NanosVet — nanofiber treatment delivery — Cohort 10, pachronicle.com
  • myBalto Foundation — Impact Seat — veterinary fundraising accounts, pachronicle.com

Key people

  • Rachel Sheppard, Director of Ventures, Mars Petcare, per sociable.co
  • Jane Lauder, Founder and Managing Partner, TAW Ventures
  • Phillip Kim, Executive Director, Michelson Philanthropies, per CB Insights

India connection

Strong and practical: the hybrid format explicitly accommodates founders in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi NCR, and Mars Petcare operates in India.

How to apply for funding

Applications run in cohorts via the Leap Venture Studio & Academy website (leapventurestudio.com) — check the site for the current window, since cohorts now run on a spring schedule (Cohort 11 starts March 30, 2027, per CB Insights). Mars Petcare announced a $100 million Companion Fund venture fund alongside the accelerator at launch (newswire.ca, 2018).

Why it matters for founders

Leap is the single highest-signal program in pet care — $200K, Mars Petcare’s distribution brain trust, and a cohort brand that opens retail and vet-channel doors. The bar is high (300+ applications per cohort) and the judges want clinical proof, not just a cute brand — Jane Lauder has said founders must build consumer trust and lasting differentiation. If you are in pet care, apply the moment a window opens.