FitBark wags its way into nationwide retailer
May 29, 2015 | Bobby Burch
Animal tech company FitBark is now selling its dog activity-tracking device in Target stores nationwide.
FitBark Marketing Director Sara Rossi
The deal will place its product in front of millions of consumers each year at Target’s nearly 1,800 U.S. locations. FitBark’s animal tracking device will be featured among Target’s new “Connected-Life” section, which features other Internet-enabled products such as wireless thermostat Nest and Belkin’s wireless light switch.
“It’s been super exciting,” FitBark CEO Davide Rossi said. “We’re transitioning from early-adopters to become more mainstream. … This really allows us to reach a larger number of folks and potential buyers and to ship way more products.”
FitBark, which relocated to Kansas City after being a part of the Sprint Mobile Health Accelerator’s inaugural class, also sells its tracker in Best Buy stores in Canada. Rossi now is a member of the Pipeline Entrepreneurial Fellowship program.
FitBark allows pet owners to attach its device to a dog’s collar to begin tracking its activity, monitor its movement, set health goals and take action on any health issues. The data is transmitted to a user’s app, which provides a dashboard of the dog’s activity and performance.
Reaching potentially millions of consumers through the Target deal, however, comes with new challenges, Rossi said. In addition to fulfilling online orders, FitBark now must meet in-store demand.
“This comes with new responsibilities,” he said. “You not only have the folks that have been cheering us along on Kickstarter as we develop the product, but now we have folks buying this as a gift. … It comes with more responsibilities to support our customers.”
To meet consumer demand, Rossi said Fitbark now is hiring for three positions, which can be viewed here. He added that Kansas City has been helpful and supportive of its mission to revolutionize animal health.
“We’re really happy with the decision to move the company here,” Rossi said. “The folks, institutions and associations in Kansas City have just been phenomenal. We’ve been very blessed.”
Featured Business
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
What the Flokk? Startup to connect residents with area events
For Trey Rhedrick, the alarm sounds at 5 a.m. He rises before the sun to work at Black & Veatch as a chemical engineer project manager. When finished at 5 p.m., Rhedrick conducts a couple meetings for his other gig before heading home to snarf down dinner. For the next six to eight hours —…
Sprint Accelerator graduate acquired by medical giant
A large California-based health care provider recently announced that it acquired Medicast, a graduate of the Kansas City-based Sprint Mobile Health Accelerator program. Providence St. Joseph Health purchased the firm for an undisclosed amount for its logistics and management platform that automates remote care delivery. In 2014, Medicast participated in the inaugural, three-month program at…
Jon Kohrs unpacks the cultural traffic jam in ‘corporate startups,’ intrapreneurship
Editor’s note: Jon Kohrs is the leader of two corporate startup teams, driving innovation and intrapreneurship at Damascus Edge. The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. There are several established Kansas City companies “going startup.” Faced with startup competitors disrupting their industries, they’ve had to ask themselves how to remix the power of…
Uber finds KCMO’s proposed ride-sharing regulations ‘troubling’
In a move that will likely reignite lively discussions among government, businesses and residents, the City of Kansas City, Mo. is now considering changes to its ride-sharing regulations for companies like Uber. By directive of the Kansas City Council, city officials are reviewing rules drafted in April of 2015 that aim to ensure public safety…