Funding funnels into pet care startups amid booming pet industry in Korea

Artificial intelligence (AI) and big-data employment is catching up fast in South Korea where pet market is growing rapidly.

Funding has been flooding in pet care startups leveraging on high-tech solutions. The Invention Lab has formed the Pet Care Initial Startup Fund with a target to draw 2.4 billion won ($2 million). It invests three local startups, PetpeoTalk, Rhinobox, and Cloud Paper.

PetpeoTalk runs an application called `Doggy View` that CCTV recordings to study their expressions, separation anxiety, and diseases.

The AI-enabled monitor studies if a pet alone at home is experiencing separation anxiety through the frequency of specific actions, such as howling, in real time. The company plans to upgrade its AI technology to detect diseases early and read gestures, including calming signals.

[Source: Rhinobox]

Rhinobox provides a comprehensive nutritional checkup for pets and customized feed tips through the Salad Pet app created by veterinary experts. Its comprehensive nutrition checkup is a service that checks the pet’s height and weight, feed type, the living environment through a user survey. Based on the survey result, it gives tips on lifestyle and feeding.

Cloud Paper is developing an application, `Pobls,` an e-commerce platform for pet care products. The application in a magazine format allows pet owners to post photos and purchase pet products. It aims to unearth various domestic and foreign pet brands to introduce consumers.