Animal tech startup FitBark fetches huge Australian pet insurer

Animal tech firm FitBark is headed Down Under thanks to its landing of a big Australian partner.

The Kansas City-based company announced that it’s partnered with PetSure, Australia’s largest pet insurance underwriter to help launch its wearable dog activity tracker to the Aussie market. PetSure opens FitBark up to 360,000 policyholders, a network of 22 pet insurance brands and many major Australian retailers.

FitBark CEO Davide Rossi said that the partnership opens up an array of possibilities for his firm.

“This is a major milestone for us,” Rossi said. “It means that our health data sets have the potential to unlock massive distribution opportunities that go beyond a consumer purchasing a motivational tool for himself and his dog. It means that we are effectively connecting consumers with their healthcare providers to generate better outcomes for all parties involved.”

A 2014 Sprint Accelerator graduate, FitBark created a wearable device that tracks pooches’ activity with the goal to improve their health. The data collected by the bone-shaped device attached to the dog’s collar is then sent to the user’s smartphone via an app that displays the information in a digestible format.

With its consumer product firmly established as the wearable for dogs, FitBark is entering new territory to monetize the data it collects, which should allow it to significantly grow through partnerships.

As more dog owners around the globe use FitBark’s activity tracker, more data becomes available for the company to sell to third parties or use in clinical settings. Currently, FitBark’s data platform is used by more than 35 vet schools and research institutions to validate new drugs, products, procedures and treatments based on the activity, sleep and behavioral data generated by its platform.

“We’re optimistic about unlocking new partnership opportunities in the food and pharma space,” Rossi said. “International growth is another big focus area — new countries, new languages for our apps. We now have a retail presence in four countries and users in more than 110 countries, which goes to show that dog lovers are in every corner of the world.”

FitBark’s new partnership with PetSure should help foster more growth for the two organizations, PetSure CEO Alexandra Thomas said.

“FitBark encourages healthy habits for dogs and their owners, but more importantly, it can help pet parents and their vets to create better welfare outcomes for pets — something we’re really passionate about,” Thomas said. “It is also the first platform that brings a wealth of ‘real-world’ data on the behavior, activity and sleeping patterns of dogs to the pet insurance industry. These insights have great potential to help us shape future products and premiums.”

FitBark was recognized as a Startland News Top Startup to Watch in 2017. To learn more about the firm, check out the video below.