Dog Food Brand Buddy Bites Raises $1M Seed Round, Investors Include Leap Venture Studio

Buddy Bites, the pet food brand donating to shelters with every order, has closed a $1 million seed funding round with notable investors including Leap Venture Studio, the world’s first pet care startup accelerator, established in partnership between Mars Petcare and Michelson Found Animals.

Funding will be used to further expand the Buddy Bites brand in their home markets of Hong Kong and Singapore as well as in the UK. Later this year, the team also plans to expand to Taiwan and to launch exciting new products.

In addition to the funding provided by Leap Venture Studio, Buddy Bites was invited to take part in their 12-week accelerator program, where they will receive custom mentorship, support in preparing for future fundraising, and the opportunity to pitch top investors from the Mars Petcare and Michelson Found Animals networks.

Rachel Sheppard, director of ventures at Mars Petcare and co-lead of Leap Venture Studio commented, “We are thrilled to have Buddy Bites joining Cohort 9 of the Leap Venture Studio program. Their commitment to providing pets with premium dog food is matched by their incredible impact in Hong Kong, Singapore, and the UK through their shelter give-back program. We’re excited to support Chris, Ryan and the Buddy Bites team in their mission and growth as they continue making a difference for pets and their communities.”

Buddy Bites CEO and co-founder Chris Lee added, “Closing this seed round and securing the backing of Leap Venture Studio signifies an exciting turning point in Buddy Bites’ journey. This raise, combined with the guidance throughout the Leap program, puts us in a stronger position than ever to grow our business and help more sheltered dogs along the way.”

Since its 2020 launch, Buddy Bites has donated over 7 million meals. Every month, the company donates roughly 15,000 kilograms of food to 12 shelters, feeding nearly 2,000 dogs for free. With the tailwinds provided by this recent funding news, even more dogs across Asia and the UK will benefit from their vet-backed, gut-friendly premium dog food.