Mars Petcare and Big Idea Ventures selected three startups for their 2026 Next Generation Pet Food Program, which accelerates sustainable ingredient innovations including alternative proteins, fats, and oils to reduce the environmental impact of pet food production.
- Three startups selected: EcoBean (Poland) converts spent coffee grounds into pet food ingredients, Loopworm (India) produces protein from silkworms, and Space Ark Biomedical (Taiwan) upcycles okara into functional proteins
- The program received 83 applications from 33 countries, with nearly half from Asia-Pacific, showing increased focus on sustainable pet nutrition
- Selected companies use fermentation, insect farming, and enzyme technology to create ingredients from underused industrial side-streams
- Winners receive $15,000 cash prize, expert guidance, R&D facility access, and pitch opportunity at the Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit in October 2026
Big Idea Ventures and Mars Petcare, along with partners AAK, Bühler, Givaudan and Ingredion, selected three startups for the 2026 Next Generation Pet Food Program. Now in its third year, the program identifies and accelerates ingredients with the potential to reduce the environmental footprint of pet food, including alternative proteins, fats, oils and novel ingredients.
Big Idea Ventures invests in food, agriculture and materials technologies. The firm provides fund management, technology scouting, venture building, acceleration, direct investment and global innovation challenges, and operates Vevolution, a digital platform that connects startups with investors and corporations.
New sources of protein & functional ingredients for pets
This year's program drew 83 applications from 33 countries. Nearly half came from the Asia-Pacific region, reflecting the program's expansion in Asia. Applicants faced stricter criteria this year, as the program sought ventures with a higher level of commercial maturity. According to the organizers, the applicant pool showed a shift from proof of concept toward supply chain readiness.
More than half of the applications focused on dry proteins and one-third on wet proteins, with the remainder covering fats and oils. The ingredients are produced through plant-based processing, fermentation, insect farming and other emerging methods. Following a multistage selection process that evaluated innovation, scalability, potential sustainability benefits and commercial potential, three companies were chosen:
- EcoBean, a Polish company, processes spent coffee grounds from industrial production into ingredients for cosmetics, food and pet applications.
- Loopworm, an Indian insect biotechnology company, manufactures protein and fat ingredients from silkworms.
- Space Ark Biomedical, a Taiwanese company, upcycles okara and brewer's spent grain into functional protein ingredients using enzyme technology and precision fermentation.
According to the organizers, each company draws on feedstocks that are abundant or underused in existing industrial supply chains, using side-stream valorization, insect biotechnology and fermentation to create new sources of protein and functional ingredients for pet nutrition.
"This program is a powerful opportunity to bring together ingredient innovators, scientists, manufacturers and industry experts around a common goal," said Elisabetta Pierangelo, vice president of research and development at Mars Pet Nutrition. "Together, we're focused on accelerating innovation and turning promising ideas into scalable solutions that could help advance pet food systems with a lower environmental footprint and deliver high-quality nutrition."
The next generation of pet nutrition will be shaped by technologies that have the potential to reduce environmental impacts while maintaining performance, said Andrew D. Ive, founder and managing general partner of Big Idea Ventures.
"What makes this program powerful is the ecosystem behind it," said Ive. "By bringing together breakthrough science, industry expertise and strategic partners, we can help de-risk promising innovations, validate their commercial potential and accelerate their path into real-world supply chains. Together with Mars Petcare and our partners around the world, we're helping build the capabilities needed to scale the future of pet food."
The startups will receive expert guidance, access to research and development facilities, tailored opportunities and a $15,000 cash prize to refine their products and advance their path to market.
The program will conclude at the Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit in Singapore, Oct. 27-29, 2026, where the cohort will pitch to industry leaders, investors and decision-makers.
For more information about the Next Generation Pet Food Program, visit bigideaventures.com/pet-food-program.
