Vegan Pet Food Gets $550,000 From Shark Tank

Dogs can be vegan too.

Vegan dog food brand Wild Earth recently secured a $550,000 investment on a “Shark Tank” appearance.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who appears on Shark Tank said he made the investment for two reasons: his belief in technological solutions to modernity’s challenges and his concerns for the environment.

The San Francisco area company is lead by Dr. Ron Shigeta, Dr. Ryan Bethencourt, and Dr. Ernie Ward.

Founded in 2017, the biotech startup is developing clean and high-protein pet food that is healthier, better for the environment, and more humane. This approach leaves behind the inefficiencies, contamination issues, and farmed animal suffering associated with pet food of the past.

They currently have a line of dog treats and are in the process of developing a line for cats.

Cuban joins Felics Ventures, Mars Petcare, VegInvest, Stray Dog Capital, Founders Fund, Blue Horizon, and Thiel Capital in supporting the start-up, which has already raised $4 million.

Wild Earth is working with an ingredient called, koji, which is a type of fungus found in Asian cooking. This ingredient is enriched with protein and loaded with amino acids.

 

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I know I look a little concerned about balancing this Wild Earth treat on my nose because well, I am! This takes acute skill & the utmost self-discipline. I nailed it. Forever the best, 🐾 💙 Kiwanis . . 📸:the.veganactivist . . . #skill #wildearth #balance #tricks #selfdiscipline #selfcontrol #kiwanis #vegan #vegandog #rescuedog #nailedit #thebest #balancing #dogsofig #dogphotography #doglife #instadog #dogmodel #dogmom #dogslife #dogselfie #dogsrule #veganfood #vegansofig #plantbased #plantbasedpower #plantpower #cutedog #pawparazzi #adventuredogs

A post shared by Wild Earth (@wildearthpets) on Mar 19, 2019 at 5:08pm PDT

The company’s Protein Dog Snack’s also contains no antibiotics, or growth hormones and free of artificial ingredients, such as colors, additives, or flavors. It is also veterinarian-developed and offers omega fatty acids, digestion-boosting enzymes, and prebiotics to support gastrointestinal microbiomes.

The pet food company is also looking at ways to reduce the carbon footprint for the industry and hopes to be able to sustainably feed more than a billion pets by 2050.

Mark and his team’s impact has already been huge — since their investment, “we’ve successfully launched our first three products and gone nationwide both online and in retail.” said Ryan Bethencourt.

Products are currently available through the company’s website and local retailers.

Go pick these up for your dog today! They will thank you.