SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Whistle, the leading creators of tech products and services for pets, announced today that it has acquired Tagg, the Pet Tracker GPS system founded in 2010 as a subsidiary of Qualcomm. The deal integrates Tagg’s GPS capabilities into Whistle’s brand of app-enabled hardware products created to help provide solutions for pet owners.
Whistle also announced the close of a $15 million Series B financing round led by Nokia Growth Partners (NGP) and joined by new investors Qualcomm; Melo7 Tech Partners, LLC, a fund co-founded by Carmelo Anthony and Stuart Goldfarb; and Queensbridge Venture Partners, founded by Nasir “Nas” Jones. Whistle has raised $25 million to date, including this latest round. The new capital will be used to further develop the pet brand’s product line and support continued company growth. Existing investors, including Series A leader DCM and Slow Ventures, also participated in this round. Paul Asel, Managing Partner of NGP, will join Whistle’s board of directors as part of the deal.
“Our users have told us that they want location tracking for their pets. After an unprecedented pre-order campaign for a low-power network device last spring, we realized the need was both urgent and spread across the country. Acquiring Tagg, a fellow pioneer in pet technology, allows us to combine their unique GPS and pet tracking architecture with Whistle’s beautiful product design and user experience,” said Ben Jacobs, Whistle Co-Founder and CEO. “This deal allows Whistle to deliver what the nearly 80 million pet parents in the U.S. want most now, and sets the stage for our brand to continue designing and developing new solutions at the leading edge of technology.”
In an effort to prevent the loss of nearly 10 million pets annually, Tagg has created an on-collar device and tracking system that notifies owners if their pet is lost. As the largest maker of pet GPS devices, Tagg delivers one of the longest-lasting wearable batteries and has the only platform of its kind operating on the nation’s most reliable cellular network. The acquisition brings together Whistle’s premium activity monitoring platform and the very best in location tracking to accelerate the development of intuitive pet products for the future.
“Whistle’s acquisition of Tagg creates the clear leader in the pet care market with a purpose-built solution to monitor a pet’s location, health and activity level,” said Paul Asel, Managing Partner of NGP. “As people learn more about themselves with health monitoring devices, it is natural that they would wish to learn more about other members of their family, including their pets. Whistle has assembled a strong team, technology and industry partners to uniquely address this opportunity.”
Current Tagg users will receive support with no interruption to service; the full integration of Tagg into the Whistle platform will be completed later this year. Tagg GPS Plus, the newest version of the pet tracker, is available at PetTracker.com.
ABOUT WHISTLE
Whistle is the world leader in pet technology, creating smart products and a mobile platform that seeks to help pets live longer, healthier and happier lives. Through intuitive devices like the flagship Whistle Activity Monitor and the Tagg Pet Tracker, and the largest comparative database of pet health information, Whistle is fueling groundbreaking insights to enable a new era of preventative care for pets. For more information visit www.Whistle.com.
ABOUT NOKIA GROWTH PARTNERS
NGP is an independent fund sponsored solely by Nokia investing in companies that are changing the face of mobility and connectivity. NGP offers industry expertise, capital and an extensive network, enabling entrepreneurs to build disruptive, industry-changing companies and take them to the global market. With offices in the US, Europe, India and China, NGP extends the reach of companies making their products and services local everywhere. Visit www.NokiaGrowthPartners.com for more information.
