ORLANDO,Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In partnership with The North American Veterinary Community, pet technology brands PetCoach and Whistle have announced Scratchpay as the winner of Pet Project 2018, a live pitch event that invited entrepreneurs in the vet health industry to bring their bold ideas to the stage at the annual Veterinary Meeting and Expo, VMX. This is the second installment of the Pet Project venture program aimed to encourage innovation in the $65B pet industry by providing support to entrepreneurs with winning ideas or products intended to improve the veterinary practice and future of pet medicine.
Scratchpay, a startup offering simple, friendly payment plans for immediate access to veterinary care, was selected by a panel of four expert judges including veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker; Mars Petcare’s VP of Digital Health, Jeannine Taaffe; Brock Weatherup, EVP Strategic & Digital Experience at Petco; and NAVC CEO, Tom Bohn, CAE. As the standout pitch of Pet Project 2018, Scratchpay will receive a $25,000 cash prize and critical feedback to help accelerate their idea into a thriving business.
"I was thrilled to take part in this event alongside some amazing entrepreneurs in the veterinary space,” said John Keatley, founder and CEO of Scratchpay. “The prize and industry recognition will help us ensure that more pets have access to the medical care they need to live happy lives."
Pet Project was developed in 2017 by Brock Weatherup, EVP Strategic & Digital Experience at Petco, and Ben Jacobs, co-founder & CEO of Whistle.
“The NAVC is proud to join Mars Petcare, Petco, Whistle and PetCoach to support entrepreneurs, help them clear the hurdles startups typically face within the industry and bring their innovative ideas to the veterinary healthcare world at a faster pace to advance our profession,” Tom Bohn said.
Scratchpay was joined on stage at the VMX Pet Project 2018 live pitch by the following startup finalists:
- VetSpire - a cloud-based veterinary medical records and practice management company
- Petnostics - creators of at-home tests to identify early warning signs
- Fuzzy - comprehensive in-home veterinary care
- Future Pet - SMS patient history collection for veterinary visits
For more information, visit www.petproject2018.org or join the conversation on Twitter with #petproject2018.
About Whistle
WHISTLE® is the pet tech brand born out of a love for pets. Founded in 2012 by Ben Jacobs, Steven Eidelman and Kevin Lloyd, Whistle is on a mission to equip pet owners with simple tools that help them stay connected to their pets from anywhere. Today, Whistle leads the industry in innovation with Whistle 3 GPS pet tracker & activity monitor, the most reliable all-in-one pet device. For more information about Whistle visit www.whistle.com, www.facebook.com/whistlelabs or www.twitter.com/whistlelabs.
About The NAVC
Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Gainesville, Florida, with offices in Orlando, Florida, the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) is a non-profit organization providing world-class professional development to the global veterinary healthcare community. Its largest initiative, VMX, formerly known as the NAVC Conference, hosts more than 17,000 attendees each year. Other offerings include VetFolio, an online CE platform in conjunction with AAHA; the NAVC Institute; the Veterinary Innovation Council; an Industry Services Division, an online news and lifestyle channel Spark! and its official journals: Today's Veterinary Business, Today’s Veterinary Nurse , Today’s Veterinary Practice and Veterinary Advantage. The NAVC recently launched a Human-Animal Bond Certification and announced plans for the inaugural Vet + Pet West event in San Diego this December for veterinary professionals, pet retailers and pet parents alike. Visit NAVC.com for more details.
About Petco and the Petco Foundation
With more than 50 years of service to pet parents, Petco is a leading pet specialty retailer that focuses on nurturing powerful relationships between people and pets. We do this by providing the products, services, advice and experiences that keep pets physically fit, mentally alert, socially engaged and emotionally happy. Everything we do is guided by our vision for Healthier Pets. Happier People. Better World. We operate more than 1,500 Petco and Unleashed by Petco locations across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico; prescription services and pet supplies from the leading veterinary-operated pet product supplier, Drs. Foster & Smith; digitally-delivered pet health advice through PetCoach; and petco.com. The Petco Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization, has invested more than $185 million since it was created in 1999 to help promote and improve the welfare of companion animals. In conjunction with the Foundation, we work with and support thousands of local animal welfare groups across the country and, through in-store adoption events, help find homes for more than 400,000 animals every year.
About Scratchpay
Scratch Financial, Inc. (also known as Scratchpay) is a financial technology company that provides simple and friendly payment plans for veterinary care. Founded in 2016 by John Keatley and Caleb Morse and headquartered in Los Angeles, Scratchpay's mission is to help more pets get access to the care they need to live happy lives. Scratchpay is offered in approximately 2,000 veterinary hospitals across the U.S. For more information about Scratchpay, visit www.scratchpay.com or www.facebook.com/scratchpay