Barkly Pets wins Purina innovation prize

D.C.–based Barkly Pets was named as the winner of an innovation prize sponsored by Purina at the big pet industry trade show in Orlando this week.

According to an announcement about the award, the dog walking startup was one of five companies that pitched for the Pet Care Innovation Prize ahead of the Global Pet Expo. With the win, the company is picking up $10,000 and a booth at the conference.

“We have a very high burden of trust with our customers to let us into their homes and care for their loved ones while they are away, and being named the Pet Care Innovation Prize grand prize winner is a major validation of our mission and approach to business,” cofounder Chris Gonzalez said in a statement.

Day one of #globalpetexpo. Here is Kari with our friends from @barklypets. Come by booth 2481 to say hi, learn about how we can help restore your pet's gut microbiome and get a free t-shirt! pic.twitter.com/BGpRqQBKUi

— AnimalBiome (@animalbiome) March 21, 2018

Launched in 2015, the startup’s service is available in four East Coast cities, including D.C., Baltimore, Philly and New York. The company raised a $605,000 seed round last year as it looks to stand out in a competitive space. The app has features like notifications about when walks are completed and a “report card” about how it went.

Barkly Pets is the second winner of the prize. The company had already received an initial $10,000 for being selected as a finalist last fall. Being a finalist also meant getting access to a pet-tech bootcamp at Purina HQ in St. Louis, where the finalists had a chance to network among each other and industry experts.