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
Black & Veatch delivers first consumer product ever: Solarhood
After more than 100 years in business, engineering giant Black & Veatch has launched its first consumer product: Solarhood. Built through the B&V Growth Accelerator program, the company created Solarhood to streamline the process for homeowners to tap solar power. The Solarhood mobile and web-based app allow homeowners to access the feasibility of going solar,…
Two KC EdTech startups earn spots in latest LEANLAB cohort; launch set for August
It’s a highly selective process to join the fifth LEANLAB K-12 fellowship, said Katie Boody, but two Kansas City startups made the cut. K12 Perform and Base Academy of Music will join four other cohort members — hailing from the Midwest to Washington D.C. — in the August-to-November EdTech accelerator program. LEANLAB is partnering…
HechoKC cast in hand-made image of Chicano artist’s culture, family, community
Witnessing — and participating in — Kansas City’s renaissance has been amazing, said Luis Garcia, the longtime artist behind HechoKC. The Crossroads used to be a ghost town, said Garcia, who has been part of the KC scene since his years at the Kansas City Art Institute. He developed SPYN Studio, a branding and design…
Quartet of startups hop into the Digital Sandbox KC
Four early-stage businesses recently entered the Digital Sandbox KC program. The new startups demonstrate the ingenuity Digital Sandbox aims to attract for its grant-funding efforts, said Jeff Shackelford, director of Digital Sandbox KC. “From helping students prepare for college to analyzing voting records to predict legislative outcomes, the startups in the Sandbox are a great…