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Here at Upilio, we know that caring for pets can be challenging. In fact, the reason we exist is that one of our founders, Nick, only realised he didn't know how to care for his new pet guinea pigs until after he brought them home.
Pets are meant to bring joy into our lives, and we want to take away the anxiety and doubt that comes with uncertainty, as well as the catastrophic results of inappropriate internet advice.
As a veterinarian, our other founder Nicole knows that prevention is better than cure. For owners, it can be difficult to know how, when, or why to prevent something they don't even know about.
This is where Upilio comes in. Using artificial intelligence, we help pet owners pick up problems earlier, understand them better, and manage them in the best way possible.
Before we talk about the solution, we need to talk about the problem:
The state of the pet industry
The pet industry experienced a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1% in 2021, with pet ownership rates rising significantly. Millennials have overtaken baby boomers as the major pet-owning demographic, meaning that the time is ripe to introduce technology as a solution to their problems.
Did you get a pet after covid?
Yes
No
Some statistics on the pet industry
232B
Global market size
Projected to grow to 350B by 2027
375%
Growth in pet E-Commerce
From 2015-2021
77%
Prefer E-Commerce
From millennial pet owners
(sources at the bottom)
The state of the vet industry
Despite the pet industry's massive growth, the vet industry has not fared as well. With burnout rates at an all-time high, more veterinarians are leaving the profession than ever, and pet owners are struggling to find timely care and advice.
6-8 Years
To train a veterinarian
And up to $300k in student loans
0.4%
Extra growth in 2022
Above the average of 3.4% from 2017-2021 but not keeping up with the pet industry
505%
DECREASE
Of net veterinarians joining practice in 2021 compared to 2018
(sources at the bottom)
How can we help?
The pet and vet industry has lagged behind in adopting new technologies and automation, and the sheer number of pet products available can confuse customers about what's best for their pets.
We can help veterinarians educate pet owners on home care and diet, as well as reduce missed illnesses and emergency visits by prompting pet owners to schedule a visit earlier when our AI detects a potential issue.
Nutrition
Personalised diet plans
Focus on the ingredients and not the marketing
Prevention
Never miss a vaccination again
Prompting updating the pet profile and logging vital information and helping pet owner plan ahead
Education
When a pet is diagnosed
We have all the information to demystify veterinary medicine
And here's how we do it
#1 A growing vet-driven database
Meet Dr. Nicole
Upilio co-founder
Exotics veterinarian since 2014, Dr. Nicole has treated animals ranging from Finches to Cape buffalo, but her passion has always been about improving the lives of companion pets.
Her experience working in Pet Circle helping pet owners find the right product for them helped her find the gap and the need for automation in this space.
Dr. Nicole leads a team of veterinarians that maintain all the data in Upilio and guarantee its reliability.
Through the extensive vet-driven database constructed to fit a wide variety of conditions and purposes made specific through the algorithm.
#2 Contextual Algorithms
Meet Nick
Upilio co-founder
Software engineer and architect and team lead. Nick has built many products from the ground up and is no stranger to the startup space.
Through Nick and Nicole's combined experience came an idea for multiple algorithms that, given the domain knowledge necessary and the context around the pet's health, is able to generate a personalised, reliable advice and present it in the right time when it's needed without overloading the pet parent with too much information too quickly.
The key to what we're doing happens inside the pet box (in the diagram above) and by getting the right user context our algorithm is able to utilise the domain knowledge it has to make decisions and recommendations to the pet owner that is unique to their pet
Which results in better decisions through good advice
In the diagram below is an example how a vet built database mixed with artificial intelligence can help you give your pet a healthier lifestyle and you a less costly and stressful decisions
Check out the result of this work in one of our proof of concepts, a simple bot that helps you find the most suitable food for your dog.
Click here to start a conversation with our bot on facebook
Sources
ltd, M., 2022. Veterinary Healthcare Market Size, Trends, Growth | 2021 to 2026. [online] Market Data Forecast. Available at: https://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/veterinary-healthcare-market [Accessed 2 February 2022].
Mitic, I., 2022. 20 Insightful Pet Spending Statistics: Americans are Spending More on Pets Than Ever. [online] Fortunly. Available at: https://fortunly.com/statistics/pet-spending-statistics/#gref [Accessed 2 February 2022].
Roberts, R., 2022. Pet Industry Trends, Growth & Statistics in 2021 and Beyond: Unleashing Your Ecommerce Pet Marketing Strategies. [online] Common Thread. Available at: https://commonthreadco.com/blogs/coachs-corner/pet-industry-trends-growth-ecommerce-marketing [Accessed 2 February 2022].
Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, 2021. Recruitment retention and return in the veterinary profession: preliminary report. Workforce Summit 2021. [online] Available at: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/events/workforce-summit-2021/ [Accessed 2 February 2022].
Tyler, J., 2021. Online-only retailers dominating the emerging pet e-commerce market. [online] Pet Food Processing. Available at: https://www.petfoodprocessing.net/articles/14771-online-only-retailers-dominating-the-emerging-pet-e-commerce-market [Accessed 2 February 2022].
IBISWorld. 2021. Veterinary Services in the US - Market Size 2004–2027. [online] Available at: https://www.ibisworld.com/industry-statistics/market-size/veterinary-services-united-states/ [Accessed 2 February 2022].