Connect with us

Technology

Purina Awards $125,000 to Five U.S.-Based Pet Startups through 2025 Pet Care Innovation Prize

Published

on

Winning startups across the pet industry – from veterinary care to treats and e-commerce – will compete for an additional $25,000 Grand Prize in March

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Today, five pet care startups from across the country have been named finalists in the ninth annual Pet Care Innovation Prize powered by Purina. Each finalist – which represent startups across the entire pet care spectrum – will receive $25,000 and mentorship support from Purina, a global leader in pet care, as the startups work to scale their businesses in the growing $324.19 billion* global pet care industry.

The 2025 Pet Care Innovation Prize Winners were selected from nearly 150 applicants from around the world. This year’s winners are: 

VEA: Based in Alexandria, Va., VEA is an AI-driven platform designed to predict disease, generate diagnostic plans and support nutrition for longevity. VEA also aims to solve workflow and documentation challenges for clinical staff, reducing the number of clicks it takes to complete exams and enabling veterinary teams to focus more on patient care.Maven: New York-based Maven is the first vet-recommended health sensor capable of continuously monitoring pets’ well-being and identifying early, clinically relevant changes. With these insights, pet owners and clinic teams can diagnose issues sooner and treat more effectively, helping pets live healthier, happier lives.Ten Lives: San Francisco-based Ten Lives produces the cleanest animal proteins for cats. Using microbes to convert sugar to protein, Ten Lives develops the same proteins naturally found in prey such as rabbit, fish and lamb, made without animals in human-grade precision fermentation facilities.ShopDot Pet: Based in Missoula, Mont., ShopDot Pet is a platform that allows neighborhood pet care providers such as groomers, trainers and vets to generate additional revenue by easily selling pet essentials without the heavy costs of inventory or shipping. ShopDot Pet enables pet service businesses and great pet brands to collaborate and sell more together.Yak9 Chews: Based in Austin, Tex., Yak9 Chews is an award-winning premium pet brand dedicated to crafting all-natural, long-lasting cheese chews for dogs, made from simple, real and ethically sourced ingredients.

In addition to the $25,000 in non-dilutive prize money, each of the five startup winners also receives mentorship from the Pet Care Innovation team at Purina and Active Capital, as well as the opportunity to participate in an accelerator boot camp at Purina’s headquarters in St. Louis, MO, which features sessions with Purina’s top pet experts and influential voices across the pet care industry.

“At Purina, our commitment to enriching the lives of pets and their people is strengthened through collaboration with innovative startups, such as the incredible cohort of this year’s Pet Care Innovation Prize finalists,” said Patrick Mullen, co-lead of Purina’s 9 Square Ventures group and vice president of strategic planning at Purina. “These passionate pet care entrepreneurs are tackling challenges in a variety of areas that all have the opportunity to help pets and those who are passionate about them thrive. We are excited to partner with these companies to foster their growth and success in the continuously growing and competitive pet care landscape.”

The five finalists will compete for an additional $25,000 grand prize this March at a pitch competition at Global Pet Expo, an annual trade show presented by the American Pet Products Association and the Pet Industry Distributors Association, where each startup will present to Purina executives, industry influencers and investors.

Purina, through its 9 Square Ventures corporate venturing group, partnered with investing leaders at Active Capital to create the Pet Care Innovation Prize in 2016. The effort provides financial support and mentorship opportunities for early-stage companies that are defining the future of pet care through novel products or services that provide meaningful solutions in the areas of pet health and wellness, services, technology, food, treats and litter.

9 Square Ventures leverages Purina’s knowledge, experience, and financial resources to help emerging pet care startups scale their businesses and make a positive impact on the lives of as many pets and their owners as possible. The group has been steadily investing millions of dollars in a diverse set of early-stage pet care startups since it was founded in 2014. 

For more information about the Pet Care Innovation Prize powered by Purina, visit https://petcareinnovation.net.

*From Precedence Research 

About Purina
Nestlé Purina PetCare creates richer lives for pets and the people who love them. Founded in 1894, Purina has helped dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives by offering scientifically based nutritional innovations. 

Purina manufactures some of the world’s most trusted and popular pet care products, including Purina ONE, Pro Plan, Friskies and Tidy Cats. Our more than 11,000 U.S. associates take pride in our trusted pet food, treat and litter brands that feed 46 million dogs and 68 million cats every year. Nearly 500 Purina scientists, veterinarians, and pet care experts ensure our commitment to unsurpassed quality and nutrition.

Over the past five years, Purina has contributed more than $150 million towards organizations that bring, and keep, people and pets together, as well as those that help our communities and environment thrive. Purina is part of Nestlé, a global leader in Nutrition, Health and Wellness. For more information, visit purina.com or subscribe here to get the latest Purina news.

About Active Capital:
Active Capital is a St. Louis-based impact investing leader, helping startups and investors come together to grow innovative products and initiatives. Active Capital manages the Pet Care Innovation Prize.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/purina-awards-125-000-to-five-us-based-pet-startups-through-2025-pet-care-innovation-prize-302351541.html

SOURCE Nestle Purina PetCare

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

BitradeX BXC First Two Subscription Rounds Sell Out, Total Subscriptions Exceed 14M USDT

Published

on

By

LONDON, May 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — BitradeX Capital’s ecosystem equity token, BXC, has completed its first and second subscription rounds, selling a total of 50 million BXC with subscriptions exceeding 14 million USDT. The first round sold out in 90 seconds, while the second closed within 48 hours.

While the fundraising size is not unusually large by crypto standards, the structure of the sale has attracted market attention. The first two rounds were not open to the public, but limited to high-tier BitradeX users. The first round was available only to V5 users and above, while the second round expanded access to V3 users and above.

According to BitradeX’s tier system, V3+ users typically have higher recurring investment activity through AiBot, longer platform usage history, and stronger ecosystem participation. This means the early BXC allocation was absorbed mainly by the platform’s internal high-value user base, rather than short-term speculative participants.

This approach differs from many token fundraising campaigns that prioritize broad public participation and market hype. BitradeX instead adopted a more selective, staged model, gradually lowering the participation threshold while keeping the sale within its active ecosystem community.

BXC is positioned as more than a standard platform token. Its value framework is linked to BitradeX Capital’s broader ecosystem, including its exchange business, AiBot quantitative strategies, BTX Card payments, and Labs incubation platform. Public information indicates that BXC holders may receive staking rewards, benefit from ecosystem buybacks and burns, and gain priority access to Launchpad projects and governance participation.

The third subscription round is launched on April 30 at $0.35 USDT per BXC, with a total supply of 100 million BXC. It is now open to users participating in AiBot recurring investment. The fourth round price is expected to rise to $0.45 USDT.

The long-term value of BXC will ultimately depend on the growth of BitradeX’s underlying businesses, including exchange profitability, AiBot user expansion, and BTX Card adoption. However, the rapid sellout of the first two rounds suggests that BitradeX’s core user base has already shown strong confidence in the ecosystem’s future.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bitradex-bxc-first-two-subscription-rounds-sell-out-total-subscriptions-exceed-14m-usdt-302767467.html

SOURCE BitradeX Capital

Continue Reading

Technology

South and East Asia identified as hotspots of global warming related impacts on male fertility

Published

on

By

BEIJING, May 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A major new study has shown that South and East Asia dominate patterns of global warming related decline in male fertility with the strongest and most consistent evidence coming from India, Pakistan and the southern parts of China.

The effects of increased environmental temperatures on male reproductive health include declining sperm concentration and motility and increased sperm DNA fragmentation, or genetic damage that can hinder fertilisation and embryo development.

Male related factors account for around 50 per cent of infertility cases around the world and the impact of rising ambient heat on semen parameters raises serious implications across wide areas of Asia where total fertility rates are in serious decline.

Outcomes of the study undertaken by the Taiwan IVF Group and Ton Yen General Hospital, Taiwan (China) in collaboration with Stanford University (USA) are being presented at the 2026 Congress of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE) in Beijing.

Research principal and Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University, Dr Jack Yu Jen Huang, MD, PhD, FACOG said: “Given the temperature sensitivity of spermatogenesis, even modest increases in ambient temperature could have cumulative, population-level effects over time.

“As global warming accelerates, male reproductive health may represent an emerging climate sensitive public health concern.”

The testes function optimally at temperatures lower than the internal body heat level, and previous studies have shown elevated scrotal or ambient temperatures can impair sperm production.

The latest research explored global patterns to reveal comparative data across regions. It is based on a systematic review of international studies on temperature exposure and semen parameter trends between 2000 and 2024. Artificial intelligence algorithms and machine learning tools were applied to extract key variables including geographic regions and semen outcomes.

Dr Huang said studies examining occupational heat exposure alone were excluded from the analysis as they reflected localised, job-specific conditions rather than broader climatic trends.

“Our findings therefore represent population level climate associated temperature effects including consistent seasonal variations showing poor semen quality parameters in warmer periods.”

The global patterns on temperature associated lower sperm concentration and motility show South and East Asia as major hot spots of concern followed by the Middle East, Europe and North America.

“South and East Asia are likely more affected due to a combination of factors including higher baseline ambient temperatures and rapid urbanisation that contribute to greater cumulative heat stress on spermatogenesis,” Dr Huang explained.

“With ongoing global warming, chronic heat exposure may increasingly impact male reproductive health.”

Dr Huang said potential approaches to address the issue include:

increasing public awareness of heat exposure and reproductive health;encouraging protective behaviours;expanding research integrating climate and reproductive health data; andexploring clinical and lifestyle interventions to mitigate heat-related effects.

The research team was assisted by research intern Jeffrey Zi Kang Huang from Taipei American School, particularly in the application of artificial intelligence in biomedical research including AI-assisted data analysis and pattern recognition across global datasets.

“Further longitudinal and mechanistic studies will be important to better define causality and guide interventions,” he added.

The ASPIRE Congress is being held at the China National Convention Centre in Beijing. More than 3,000 scientists, clinicians, nurses and counsellors in assisted reproduction from around the world are attending the Congress.

For further information, go to https://www.aspire2026.com

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/south-and-east-asia-identified-as-hotspots-of-global-warming-related-impacts-on-male-fertility-302767469.html

SOURCE ASPIRE

Continue Reading

Technology

eclicktech Attends Amazon Ads unBoxed 2026, Highlighting Four Key Trends Shaping AI-Driven Global Marketing

Published

on

By

SHENZHEN, China, May 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Amazon Ads recently hosted its annual flagship event, Amazon Ads unBoxed 2026, in Shenzhen, bringing together advertisers, agencies, and technology partners to explore the next phase of AI-powered marketing innovation. This year’s event focused on how AI is reshaping the advertising ecosystem through advancements in audience targeting, creative production, campaign management, and measurement capabilities.

Yeahmobi, the global marketing brand under eclicktech and an Amazon DSP validated partner, attended the event alongside industry leaders and ecosystem partners to discuss emerging opportunities for international brand growth in an increasingly AI-driven media environment.

During the conference, Amazon Ads introduced a series of product and solution updates across four major areas:

Advanced audience targeting powered by Amazon’s first-party data infrastructure to help brands reach high-intent consumers more effectively;AI-assisted creative production designed to improve content efficiency and support personalized advertising at scale;Intelligent campaign management tools aimed at simplifying cross-channel advertising workflows;Enhanced measurement and attribution capabilities to provide advertisers with clearer visibility into campaign performance and return on investment.

According to Yeahmobi, Amazon DSP is evolving beyond a standalone programmatic buying platform into a broader marketing infrastructure supporting the full customer journey, from brand awareness to conversion.

Since becoming an Amazon Ads partner, Yeahmobi has developed integrated advertising solutions spanning awareness, audience engagement, and conversion optimization. The company stated that it has supported brands across sectors including cross-border e-commerce, consumer electronics, AI applications, and financial services in scaling their global advertising efforts through Amazon DSP.

At the event, Yeahmobi also showcased its proprietary advertising management platform, Yeahgrowth, which integrates campaign management, data analytics, and performance optimization capabilities to support centralized multi-platform operations and improved campaign visibility.

“AI is fundamentally reshaping how brands approach global growth,” said William Liu, General Manager of Yeahmobi. “We see Amazon Ads as a strategically important part of the global marketing ecosystem. Our focus is not only on media execution, but also on building scalable growth infrastructure through deeper API integration, AI-driven optimization, and data collaboration.”

Yeahmobi stated that it will continue expanding its collaboration with Amazon Ads to support brands navigating increasingly complex global media environments.

About Yeahmobi
Yeahmobi is a global marketing brand focused on helping businesses achieve international growth through digital advertising, data-driven operations, and AI-powered marketing solutions.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially due to various risks and uncertainties. The company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eclicktech-attends-amazon-ads-unboxed-2026-highlighting-four-key-trends-shaping-ai-driven-global-marketing-302767470.html

SOURCE Yeahmobi

Continue Reading

Trending