India's pet food company Zoomies has collected INR 50 million (US$550,000) in a pre-seed funding round from a group of investors led by venture capital fund D2C Insider Super Angels. The business aims to use the funds to expand its clean-label pet food brand, which bases its sales on direct-to-consumer channels.
Zoomies is offering a "cat-first portfolio" complemented by pet food products for dogs, basing its portfolio on freeze-dried meals, wet food and treats, the Indian company said in a statement.
"India doesn't have a pet food problem," the brand said. "It has a trust problem. Walk into any pet store and you'll see shelves full of options. Fancy packaging. Big claims. Imported tags. But ask a pet parent one simple question… 'Do you fully trust what you're feeding your pet?' That pause you see? That hesitation? That's the real gap."
Pune-based Zoomies was established in September 2025 and launched sales last February. Founded by Indian entrepreneurs Battewar and Spriha Choubey, Zoomies says its meals are made from 100% human-grade meat.
In 2025, India's pet food market was valued at about $870 million and is expected to grow to $980 million by 2026 and $1.68 billion by 2031, reaching a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.32% during the period 2026–2031, according to data from Indian market research firm Mordor Intelligence.
"Daily feeding of commercial diets remains low at 29% of the owned-dog population, leaving packaged nutrition ample room for growth. Quick-commerce delivery, nowadays covering 42 cities, is shortening replenishment cycles and catalyzing trial among first-time buyers," according to the market research company.
In its report, Mordor Intelligence said India-based extrusion lines launched in 2024 and 2025 decreased landed kibble costs by about 14%, "narrowing the gap with home-cooked rice and lentil meals that dominate Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns."
"Cost efficiencies achieved through local extrusion plants are gradually lowering retail prices," the company said. "This development is making premium nutrition more accessible to mid-income households while maintaining manufacturer margins."
Czech company promotes cultured meat technology for pet food
Czech startup Bene Meat Technologies has teamed up with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague to promote its technology, releasing a study on the environmental impacts of cultivated meat. The research demonstrates that large-scale cultivated meat production can generate comparable or lower environmental impacts than conventional meat.
"The research was featured in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal, The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment," Bene Meat said in a statement. "As one of the first in the world, it is not based on lab data and rough estimates, but on primary data from our pilot process and detailed models of a real-world industrial plant."
According to Bene Meat Technologie, unlike previous estimates based on laboratory tests, this study works with primary data from pilot production and models of the upcoming industrial operation. The analysis is based on technology designed for a production capacity of 400–600 kg of meat per day, offering a more accurate and relevant perspective on the environmental footprint of cultivated meat in commercial production, the company noted.
The obtained results indicate that large-scale cultivated meat production can generate comparable or lower environmental impacts than conventional meat, with the choice of raw materials and energy mix playing crucial roles in the process, Bene Meat said.
"At this stage, our focus remains on further developing and optimizing the scalability of our technology to support future production," Kateřina Dvořák Vašová, the company's PR & communication specialist, told Petfood Industry. "We are continuously working on advancing our processes to ensure they are robust, efficient, and ready for broader application."
Headquartered in Prague, Bene Meat Technologies has been working on its product since 2020.
