Alex Chieng | Co-Founder & CEO of Pawsible Ventures

Pawsible’s inaugural $10M fund isn’t just writing checks — it’s creating an ecosystem for the next wave of pet-tech founders, from wellness and diagnostics to AI-driven longevity.

In this candid conversation, we speak with Alex Chieng, the co-founder and CEO of Pawsible Ventures, about what they’re looking for, how their incubator works, and why investors are finally waking up to the scale of opportunity in pet care.

Your inaugural fund is $10 million and aims to back up to 20 startups over three years, with checks between $100K and $500K. What kind of founders or ideas are you hoping to discover with that capital?

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We’re looking for founders who are driven by purpose and have a genuine connection to the problems they’re solving.

That includes veterinarians who’ve seen inefficiencies firsthand, technologists with fresh ideas for diagnostics or wellness, and operators who want to make pet care more accessible and data-driven.

We’re also deeply interested in underserved areas that don’t always make the headlines. Pet care is universal, and all aspects of it deserve attention and support, from rural veterinary access to emotional wellness, nutrition, longevity, and new models of unified care across the ecosystem.

Our goal is to back innovators who are building the future of pet health in ways that touch every part of the animal’s life, not just the parts that are trending.

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Can you share more about how the studio works — how long each cohort runs, what kind of support founders get, and what success looks like by the end of the program?

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We’re planning to launch our first cohort in Q1 2025. It will run between six to ten weeks, and we’ll host these programs quarterly. Each cohort includes weekly mentorship sessions, one-on-one strategy time with industry experts, and tailored workshops that guide founders from concept to clarity.

The goal isn’t to sprint toward a “finished” business. It’s about helping founders understand how and why to build in the pet space, where the real opportunities lie, what regulations or industry nuances exist, and how to navigate them thoughtfully.

If you’re early, we’ll help you get to a place where you know exactly what to do next and ideally have a functional MVP by the end. If you’re already a bit further along, we’ll work with you on refining your go-to-market strategy and expanding your network.

Success means seeing founders exit the program with a sharper understanding of the pet health landscape, a stronger network, and a supportive ecosystem they can continue to lean on as they grow.

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The fund’s thesis covers everything from veterinary care to wellness and automation. Which areas excite you most right now, and why?

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I’m most excited about the areas that push pet care toward longevity, prevention, and connected health. The idea of a unified pet ecosystem, where data, diagnostics, insurance, and at-home care all work seamlessly together, has the potential to redefine how we approach animal wellness.

We’re also seeing a powerful humanization of pets; owners are expecting the same level of personalization, transparency, and quality that exists in human healthcare. At the same time, veterinary professionals are looking for tools and technologies that help them deliver better care and run more efficient practices.

There’s a massive opportunity to bridge those two needs through innovation. By applying the best lessons from human health — automation, AI, and personalized insights — we can build a more holistic, accessible, and data-driven future for pets everywhere.

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At Vetsie, you worked with companies like Mars Petcare and Merck Veterinary Manual. What did that experience teach you about building credibility and momentum in the pet industry?

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It taught me the importance of building relationships early and leading with collaboration. Many of the larger players in this space are more open to innovation than people realize; you just have to start the conversation. Even if it doesn’t turn into an immediate deal, you’re laying the foundation for long-term trust.

Graduating the Leap Ventures Program (backed by Mars Petcare) and partnering with Merck Veterinary Manual reinforced that credibility is earned through consistency and execution. Innovation and trust can absolutely coexist.

When you listen closely to what veterinarians, clinics, and pet owners actually need — not just what you think they need — you naturally create solutions that both startups and major partners want to champion.

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You recently won the world’s largest AI hackathon with Loafie, built in under two weeks. Can you tell us more about that experience and what you learned?

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It was an incredible experience. Out of over 100,000 participants worldwide, we were one of the co-winners. We built Loafie in less than two weeks, an AI project focused on emotional wellness and personalization for pets.

It reminded me how much can be achieved when you focus, move fast, and listen to users. We didn’t overthink; we built, tested, and iterated every day. The biggest takeaway was that real feedback is far more valuable than a perfect prototype.

At Pawsible, that’s the same mindset we encourage founders to adopt: build fast, talk to your users early, and get something in their hands, even if it’s rough. You’ll learn more in a week of testing than in months of planning.

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What do you look for in a founder before deciding to invest? What makes someone stand out to you?

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For me, it always starts with founder–market fit. You can teach fundraising and presentation skills, but you can’t teach genuine obsession with the problem. The best founders can clearly explain the pain point because they’ve lived it, and they have the drive to keep solving it no matter how tough it gets.

I look for people who are adaptable, curious, and self-aware. The ones who stand out are open to feedback, know what they don’t know, and intentionally surround themselves with people who make them better. It’s that mix of conviction and humility that usually separates the good from the great.

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This is your first fund. Raising $10M is no small feat, especially for a niche vertical like pet health. What was the most challenging part of raising the fund, and what did you learn from that process?

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Because we’re backed by Victory Square Technologies and the team at Hydreight, it was a very natural extension of capital, given their success in human health. In fact, Shafin Tejani, CEO of Victory Square, had been eyeing the animal health industry as early as 2021.

We had connected a few times throughout the years, and those conversations often circled around how the same digital transformation that reshaped human health was starting to unfold in the pet world.

When we decided to build Pawsible, it aligned perfectly with that shared vision. But it still took time to educate investors on how animal health parallels human health, the challenges, the economics, and the scale of opportunity.

That process highlighted how much this industry needs louder and clearer voices. People know how big the pet market is, but they often underestimate how early we are in its digital and medical transformation. Once investors understood that, the conviction followed. It was less about convincing and more about showing them the future we’re already building toward.

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When you announced the fund on LinkedIn, what kind of reactions did you get?

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The response was incredible. Within just a few days, my post reached over 11,000 impressions, and what really stood out was the global scale of engagement. We’ve since connected with or been approached by more than 100 companies from across North America, Europe, and Asia, including founders, veterinarians, and even academic institutions exploring collaborations.

What’s been most validating is that many of these founders reached out not just for capital, but to learn more about our incubator and studio model. It confirmed that there’s a real hunger in this space for community, mentorship, and shared infrastructure, not just funding.

That’s exactly what Pawsible was built to do: bring together the people, ideas, and resources needed to build the next generation of pet-health innovation globally.

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You’ve talked about Canada being a starting point, but not the endpoint for innovation in animal health. How do you see Canadian founders competing or collaborating on a global stage?

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I was born and raised in Canada, and even now, there’s a noticeable lack of support and funding for startups in the animal-health space here. That’s something I want to change.

Through Pawsible, we want to show the world that Canadian founders can do more and be more on the global stage. We’re building an ecosystem that starts here but connects internationally, from the UK to the US, Europe, and beyond.

The goal is to create a network where ideas can be incubated locally but scaled globally, powered by collaboration, mentorship, and shared infrastructure. Pet care has no borders, and innovation shouldn’t either.

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One piece of advice for early-stage founders.

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Don’t be afraid to start. There’s so much more support and innovation happening in pet care today than ever before. When I quit my full-time job to build Vetsie, I went all in and never looked back. There were definitely some tough times, but that’s part of the journey.

The founders who make it are the ones who consistently adapt, learn, and listen to their users. The pet space is evolving quickly, and no one gets it right the first time. What matters is staying consistent, staying close to the problem, and remembering why you started.

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