Vegdog was founded in 2015 by Tessa Zaune-Figlar and Valerie Henssen, and in 2018 the startup Dagmar Wöhrl in the VOX show “The Lion’s Den” In exchange for a 20 percent stake in the company, the founders received 150,000 euros from the investor, as well as support with marketing and sales. In 2020, Katjesgreenfood joined the Munich-based company.
The startup has now completed another round of financing. Led by the Green Generation Fund, Startup Family Office and Katjesgreenfood once again invested in Vegdog. The €3.5 million raised will be used to expand the product range and further grow the company. At the same time, Vegdog is also seeking to raise another €500,000 from the crowd via Seedmatch.
Opposite German startups explained Manon Sarah Littek from the Green Generation Fund:
"Thanks to its pioneering role in plant-based, sustainable pet food, Vegdog has clearly established itself as the leading DACH brand in its segment in recent years. As an impact investor, we are pleased to support Valerie Henssen and Tessa Zaune-Figlar in developing sustainable brands and products, as well as in further scaling in e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retail."
And via LinkedIn The VC lets us know:
"Global pet food production contributes significantly to climate change, emitting more than 100 million tons of CO2 annually, and this figure is rising as demand for high-quality, human-grade meat in dog food rapidly increases. Since its inception, Vegdog has avoided over 11,000 tons of CO2 and thousands of slaughters, significantly improving the overall health of consuming dogs!"
Healthy for the dog
Co-founder Valerie Henssen explained:
"More and more people want to live more sustainably – and in doing so, reduce their four-legged friend's ecological footprint. With Vegdog, we offer an environmentally friendly and veterinarian-approved solution. We thank our partners for their trust in this forward-looking approach!"
In addition, the startup is particularly focused on dogs with food allergies. Zaune-Figlar founded Vegdog to to close a gap in the market: Due to a food allergy, she had to feed her own dog a vegan diet on the advice of her veterinarian. However, since there were no complete foods on the market that contained all the essential ingredients, she decided to fill the gap in the market herself. The founders then sought support from a veterinarian specializing in animal nutrition to develop the recipes. Accordingly, Vegdog dog food contains the minerals, trace elements, and vitamins that aren't provided by the original ingredients.
