Best-in-show FitBark pet tech now groomed for 2019 launch on FitBit
December 17, 2018 | Austin Barnes
Kansas City-bred FitBark is set to unleash a new partnership with industry-leading fitness wearable FitBit in early 2019, the company announced Monday.
“For many of us, happiness is about helping others achieve their goals,” said Davide Rossi, CEO and co-founder of FitBark. “We may not have the motivation to get in the gym every day, but if we know our pets desperately need their exercise to stay healthy, we’ll go out of our way to make sure they get it.”
Davide Rossi, FitBark
“The commitment to the health of our pets is the key to our own health and happiness,” he added.
FitBark’s app and watch face will launch in the Fitbit app gallery within the first quarter of the year, allowing users to track their steps, calories, and other activity alongside and in comparison with those of their pet, Rossi explained.
Click here to read about fellow KC-based startup Sickweather’s integration into FitBit.
“This partnership enables us to put our mission on the radar of millions of health-conscious dog owners — with more than two-thirds of households owning a pet in several of our key markets,” Rossi said of momentum the FitBit partnership brings to FitBark.
Click here to read more about Rossi’s philosophy on the pet lifestyle industry.
Named by Startland as a startup to watch in 2017, FitBark — developed by Rossi alongside his sister, Sara Rossi and Fabrizio Filippini — aims to improve the physical fitness of consumers’ four-legged family members through the use of wearable tech.
Expanding its market reach, Fitbit launched the Fitbit Ace activity tracker, earlier this year — designed to monitor the physical fitness of kids — a move that aligned the brand with FitBark’s commitment to whole-family fitness, Rossi added.
“We’re humbled that Fitbit is now supporting our mission to include not only kids, but also fur kids in everyone’s health journey,” he said.
Click here to learn more about another FitBark partnership with Animal Planet.
Featured Business
2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
C2FO raises massive $100M round for global expansion
In what is believed to be the largest venture-backed funding round in the Kansas City area’s history, C2FO is lighting the fuse on its global expansion with a $100 million capital raise. The Leawood-based financial tech firm’s round was led by Munich-based Allianz X and Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Investment Company, and included participation from Temasek,…
Techweek KC returning with big LaunchKC, Techstars, BetaBlox demo days
One of Kansas City’s biggest conference series for entrepreneurs is returning in October alongside some of KC’s most premier accelerator programs, said Amanda Signorelli, CEO of Techweek KC. Demo days for Techstars KC and BetaBlox will join LaunchKC as signature events during the Oct. 8-12 conference, she said. “Combined with the nationally recognized LaunchKC competition…
Techstars KC alum Grit Virtual posts $840K oversubscribed seed round
Reality is starting to sink in for Grit Virtual, said co-founder Chris Callen. “It’s exciting to finally be able to talk about our funding rounds and the successes we have had,” Callen said. “It’s been an exciting ride so far, and we’re kind of gearing up to make it a real company, not just an R&D…
State of Entrepreneurship Address: Redefine ‘entrepreneur’ through inclusion
Entrepreneurship rates are half of what they were a generation ago, and although the U.S. population is increasingly diverse, educated and older, the nation’s entrepreneurial population isn’t changing at the same pace, Wendy Guillies said. Founders face too many barriers, said Guillies, president and chief executive officer of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Wednesday morning…