Companion Fund
Corporate VCNew York · Pre-Seed–Growth
Investment thesis
Companion Fund backs startups leveraging science, technology, and design to advance animal health. Operating in partnership with Mars Petcare — a leader in veterinary care, nutrition, diagnostics, wearable health, DNA testing, and pet welfare — the fund gives founders and syndicate partners access to Mars Petcare's global network, including tens of thousands of associates across thousands of clinics and labs, presence in over 130 countries, and science-backed nutrition and therapeutic expertise. It supports companies across multiple stages and also runs an early-stage accelerator, Leap Venture Studio, alongside Michelson Found Animals and R/GA Ventures.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
What they invest in
from 16 of 22 portfolio companiesConsumer ×9Healthtech ×9Direct to Consumer ×4Biotech ×3Digital Health ×3E-commerce ×3FoodTech ×3Fintech ×2
HQs:United States×8United Kingdom×2
Who they back
founder profiles across 12 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×52 founders×43 founders×24+ founders×1
Where their founders studiedfrom 12 founders with education data
Caltech ×3Princeton University ×3Murdoch University ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 12 founders with career history
Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering ×2
Investments · 22 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathDrug development company creating species-specific tubulin inhibitors (Parabulins) for parasitic diseases.
Co-investorsKickfund
Made by Nacho is a pet food company that produces cat food crafted by professional chef Bobby Flay using quality proteins and ingredients designed for feline nutrition.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerceFoodTech
Bobby Flay(Founder)
Co-investorsSonoma Brands CapitalBeliadeCAVU Consumer PartnersCAVU Venture PartnersNew Fare Partners
MoeGo provides a business management platform designed for pet care businesses, including tools for online booking, scheduling, staffing, and marketing automation.
SaaS
Emma Chen(Founder)in
Co-investorsConductive VenturesBase10 Partners
Subscription e-commerce platform for pet owners in China.
Co-investorsDCM Ventures
Napo is a UK pet insurance provider offering lifetime cover for dogs and cats, with tiers from £2,000 to £16,000 per year covering illnesses, accidents, dental and behavioural treatment.
ConsumerFintechInsurTechLondon, GB
JP(Founder)Jean-Philippe Doumeng(Founder)inGB JP(Founder)Ludovic Lacay(Co-Founder & CPO)in
Co-investorsDMG VenturesDN CapitalMTECH CAPITALPICUS CAPITALMercia Ventures
Functional nutrition company making supplements for dogs.
St Louis, US
Patrick M Barron(Manager / Member)
Co-investorsDigitalis VenturesR/GA VenturesSelva VenturesCAVU Consumer PartnersCAVU Venture Partners
Omni is a UK-based pet food company that makes novel protein, allergy-friendly food for pets, aimed at improving pet health while reducing environmental impact.
ConsumerDigital HealthDirect to ConsumerE-commerceFoodTechHealthtech
Guy Sandelowsky(Co-Founder)Shiv Sivakumar(Founder)
Co-investorsArtesianBrincIW CapitalLever VCMiroma VenturesCraft Ventures+1 more
Pacagen develops allergen-neutralizing sprays using proprietary WhiskerBlock™ and EnviroBlock™ technologies that target pet and dust mite allergens at the molecular level.
ConsumerHealthtech
Evan Zhao(Founder)inGary Zhao(Founder)in
Co-investorsBantam GroupGood FriendsMARKHAM VALLEY VENTURESMaveron
Pawp offers an annual membership giving pet owners 24/7 on-demand access to licensed veterinarians, nurses, and technicians for virtual consultations, follow-ups, and personalized care plans.
ConsumerDigital HealthWellness & FitnessBrooklyn, US
Drew Taylor(Director)Andrew Malek(Director, Promoter)Marc Atiyeh(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardZack Schildhorn(Director)
Co-investorsDCM VenturesGood FriendsHOF CapitalInnovating CapitalLux CapitalProtagonist+3 more
Novel antibody-based therapeutics platform for animal health.
Co-investorsCambridge Innovation CapitalDigitalis VenturesParkwalk Advisors
Rejuvenate Bio develops gene therapy treatments aimed at the root causes of aging to address chronic, age-related conditions such as osteoarthritis, heart disease, and cancer.
BiotechHealthtechLongevitySan Diego, US
Noah Davidsohn(CSO, Co-Founder)inDaniel Oliver(CEO, Co-Founder)inGeorge Church(Co-Founder and SAB)Deborah Ascheim(Chief Medical Officer)in
Co-investorsConnecticut InnovationsDigitalis VenturesKendall Capital PartnersKdT Ventures
Riverdog Daycare operates dog daycare services, having started at a Somerville location, and focuses on pet care for dogs and their owners.
ConsumerPeabody, US
Greg(Leader)
Scout Bio developed biotechnology therapies for pets, including a pipeline of monoclonal antibodies and gene therapy programs targeting chronic diseases in companion animals.
AgTechBiotechDeep TechHealthtechPhiladelphia, US
Mark Hefferman(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardAditya Kohli(Director)inTadataka Yamada(Director)Patrick Heron(Director)inCindy Cole(Director)inNancy Hong(Director)
Co-investorsDigitalis VenturesFrazier Life SciencesRiverVest Venture Partners
Scratch Pay offers point-of-payment patient financing that lets clients of veterinary practices apply for loans and receive instant decisions, with practices paid up front via ACH.
ConsumerFintechHealthtechLos Angeles, US
Caleb(Founder/President)John Keatley(Founder)in
Co-investorsArgonautic VenturesDigitalis VenturesNorwest Venture PartnersStruck CapitalSWS Venture CapitalTTV Capital
Smalls produces fresh, gently cooked cat food made to resemble home-prepared meals, differentiating itself from conventional pet food manufacturers by using minimal processing.
Direct to ConsumerFoodTech
Matthew Michaelson(Founder)in
Co-investorsEastward Capital PartnersEvolution VC PartnersFounder CollectiveImaginary Venture CapitalLeft Lane CapitalTMV+2 more
Travv develops AI-powered veterinary diagnostics, including digital pathology tools for the animal health industry.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechCloud ComputingHealthtech
Derick Whitley(Founder, CEO)in
Co-investorsDigitalis Ventures
Tuft & Paw designs and sells premium, durable cat products for cat owners who prioritize quality and sustainability over disposable alternatives.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerce
Jackson ud83d udc08 Cunningham(Founder)inJackson Cunningham u3d83d udc3e(Founder)in
Co-investorsBlue Collective
Vedi is a vet-tech company providing electronic health records for veterinary care, linking an animal's medical information to their microchip so records follow the pet across clinics, labs, shelters and owners.
Data & InfrastructureHealthtechSaaS
Steve Joslyn(Co-founder)inRoss Wyness(Co-founder)inAnton Tjea(Co-founder)in
Exits · 1
IPOs and acquisitions across the tracked portfolioScout Bio Incacq. by Ceva Santé Animale
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
Rejuvenate Bio · intelligence360.news · Jul 30, 2026
Omni · finsmes.com · Jul 2, 2026
Oncura · tamradar.com · May 7, 2026
Travv · finsmes.com · May 7, 2026
Scratchpay · netpinnacle.com · Aug 1, 2025
Astra Therapeutics · feedandadditive.com · Jul 24, 2025
Honor Pet · startupbeat.com · Jul 23, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Companion Fund made?
- Companion Fund has 22 tracked investments, 2 of which have exited via acquisition or IPO.
- What stage does Companion Fund invest at?
- Companion Fund invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth stages.
- What sectors does Companion Fund focus on?
- Companion Fund focuses on Biotech, Consumer, Digital Health, Healthtech, InsurTech.
- Where is Companion Fund located?
- Companion Fund is headquartered in New York, US.
- Who does Companion Fund co-invest with?
- Companion Fund most often shares deals with Digitalis Ventures, DCM Ventures, Good Friends, among 45 tracked co-investors.
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