The global pet food market is highly competitive and continues to grow, with a market share estimated at $103.3 billion in 2023. This growth has led many companies to target pet owners who are willing to invest in high-quality food to enhance the health and longevity of their pets.
Ollie, the “human-grade” pet food subscription service, is moving into new territory with AI-powered pet diagnostics to differentiate itself in a crowded market. The company announced Thursday that it has acquired DIG Labs, a pet health technology startup touting its unique dog stool image scanning and analysis capabilities, for an undisclosed amount.
Founded in 2019 by Tara Zedeiko and Jessica Chu, DIG Labs developed Health Check, a flagship app to help owners with their pets' digestive issues. The app allows users to take photos of stool and gain insight into their pet's health, providing guidance on whether to immediately consult a veterinarian or simply monitor the situation. . Veterinary Advisory Board vetted health check includes over 10,000 dog fecal samples and over 50 million other data points including images of skin, coat, teeth, gums, body condition, and eyes It utilizes vast amounts of data.
With the acquisition of DIG Labs, Ollie introduced a new service called Health Screening. It allows pet owners to submit photos through the app and receive expert feedback on their pet's health within 24 hours. The new tool currently offers four types of AI health screening: dental, digestive, skin and coat, and weight. These screenings can detect problems such as tartar buildup, abnormal stool color or texture, skin irritation, and weight-related concerns.
Last year, Ollie partnered with DIG Labs to enhance its health diagnostic capabilities. Olly said the positive response from members made him interested in acquiring the startup to bring the technology in-house. The move will put Ollie in increased competition with other pet medical services such as Daisy, TTcare and Whistle, which offer similar scanning technology.
DIG Labs has officially retired the Health Check app and it has been fully integrated into Ollie's app.
Image credit: Ollie
In addition, Olly has used this technology to develop a proprietary process called the “Foodback Loop” that leverages more than 20 million data points to improve and enhance the company's recipes, split feeding They say it will help improve algorithms and continue food research. And development.
The company also plans to introduce new services such as portion control, weight programs, and a customized experience for puppies.
“For example, if we could consider how many dogs are overweight or obese in the United States alone, we could provide a personalized plan that takes those dogs into account if they are overweight and make sure they keep their weight under control. “We're really excited about the opportunity to be able to lose weight and stay on the right track to reach your ideal weight and maintain it over time.” told TechCrunch. The executive will retire from the DIG Labs brand and join the Ollie team as chief scientific officer, leading the foodback loop initiative. Her team of three will also be participating.
Olly's first-ever acquisition is a strategic move that is likely to make its subscriptions more attractive to new members. These delivery services are expensive compared to traditional dog food that owners can purchase at the grocery store. For example, Ollie subscriptions range from $4 to $8 per day (or more than $224 per month). Now, users enjoy more than just the convenience of prepackaged dog food delivered to their home every eight weeks. You also get convenient screening tools that allow you to easily monitor your pet's health without frequent veterinary visits.