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
‘This is the end of The Sundry’ — Sustainable food problem remains after startup’s closing, founder says
The Sundry market-and-restaurant concept at Plexpod Westport Commons simply wasn’t solving the problems of scope and scale within sustainable and local agriculture as intended, said Ryan Wing. Ultimately, that meant the venture itself couldn’t continue as originally envisioned, added Wing, founder of the sustainable food startup, which abruptly closed to the public last week. “Expectations…
First couple of KC Dapper Rap launching first-of-its-kind coworking space for city’s urban core
A new self-style space in Midtown is expected to offer hair, beauty and wellness entrepreneurs an opportunity to cowork under one roof without the burden of securing financing or paying for utilities, said Lauren Euston. “If you are a busy stylist or busy wellness professional and you are working hard to reach the next level…
The Prospect: ‘Cutthroat Kitchen’ winner on the move with chef-inspired workforce training
Everyday consumers can elevate Kansas City through the simple of act of eating a meal, said Chef Shanita McAfee-Bryant. Her in-the-works non-profit urban eatery concept — The Prospect — caters to a marketplace hungry for culinary-oriented workforce development training: students looking for a window into entrepreneurship through cooking, said Bryant, 2014 winner of Food Network’s…
BacklotCars parks another $25 million in Series B round led by NY-based investor
KC-fueled BacklotCars will further its mission to disrupt the wholesale automotive space, thanks to the close of a $25 million Series B funding round, the company announced Monday. Led by New York-based growth equity firm, Stripes, the round brings BacklotCars — which seeks to ease pain points for automotive wholesalers — to $38 million in…