Big Idea Ventures and Mars Petcare have launched the third year of the Next Generation Pet Food Program, which has become a leading global platform for advancing sustainable solutions in pet nutrition. The initiative focuses on identifying and scaling breakthrough technologies and is delivered in collaboration with AAK, Bühler, Givaudan and Ingredion.
The programme is seeking start-ups developing low-carbon materials suitable for petfood applications, with a strong focus on alternative proteins, fats, oils and novel ingredients. Through the Mars Petcare Raws4Paws Accelerator, the company is investing in innovation and searching for the next generation of suppliers to support healthy pets while addressing concerns around ingredient accessibility, security, sustainability and changing consumer behaviour in the pet industry.
The initiative connects innovators from the human food sector with the petfood industry and provides expertise from global industry leaders to help accelerate their route to market. Over the past two years, the programme has generated insights into emerging technologies, with several participating start-ups now testing concepts that could help shape the future of sustainable petfood.
Elisabetta Pierangelo, VP R&D Mars Pet Nutrition, said, “We are committed to exploring new technologies and scaling innovation that could reduce the environmental impact of petfood. Through previous cohorts, we’ve uncovered promising new solutions and seen transformative technological developments. I’m eager to build on that momentum and witness the breakthroughs this year’s program will unlock.”
