A former CEO is launching a business that combines technology, pet food and home delivery in a bid to fight obesity.
Barry Rubery, former CEO of Pace, the world’s largest manufacturer of pay-TV set-top boxes, has launched Kasper & Kitty with his wife, Emma-Jane Rubery.
The brand – which launches first in the UK and will then target Europe and Australia – will sell a range of hand-blended dog food and treats alongside a tech-enabled activity collar and phone app.
Core to the offer is a subscription-based home delivery service which will deliver dog food bespoke to the pet, using data input into the Kasper & Kitty website or app, monthly.
The Fitkolar, an activity collar, is paired with a free-to-use app and will monitor the dog’s activity. An algorithm then calculates whether the next delivery will change in terms of recipe or amount of food to be fed to the dog – it measures distance, calories, rest and goals.
Barry told the Telegraph & Argus: “Pets and set-top boxes may not be the most obvious of bed-fellows, but what they both have in common are huge international markets. The market in the UK alone for pets is worth around £17bn. We took Pace and created a company with a global footprint and our ambition is to do the same in the pet industry with Kasper & Kitty.
“There are 13-million households with pets in the UK alone and what is becoming an increasing problem is over-feeding. Pet obesity is showing no signs of slowing so our offer will mix tech and data with a home-delivery service to create a managed feeding programme.
“Great quality kibble food will be delivered to your home based on the recommended daily calorie intake for a specific dog using data input by the owner, either via our app or website. Alongside this subscription-based food delivery service – which operates in much the same way as a Graze or an Abel & Cole – we have a tech product.”