(itunes.apple.com)
Petnostics entered the Shark Tank with their app that monitors pets’ health.
Heavy interviewed founder Stephen Chen who got on the Tank after attending an open casting call in Downtown LA. As for his future plans, he said they are “to continue to develop more health products for pet parents and expand the Petnostics brand. Our goal is to make healthy living easier for pet families in any way that we can.”
Here’s what else he told us about…
How the Idea For the Company Came About
My background is in the healthcare industry and I spent five years managing a medical device company. One of the projects I worked on was developing a new urine analyzer, and it was during this project that I came up with the technology that enabled mobile phones to replicate the functionality and accuracy of the traditional analyzer. Being a pet lover myself, I could see the potential that the technology had to empower pet parents to take more control over their pet’s health from the comfort of their own home at a price they could afford.
How It Works
1. Collect:
Use Petnostics’ smart urine cup to collect your pet’s urine cleanly until you are ready to test with the Petnostics iPhone app. Petnostics also offers hydrophobic cat litter to allow for easy cat urine collection.2. Seal:
Once your pet’s urine is collected, screw on the Petnostics lid to begin testing. The lid is integrated with the same urine test strip that veterinarians use in their clinics and will begin changing colors once it comes in contact with the urine.3. Analyze:
Simply scan the top of the lid with the Petnostics’ iPhone app and results will be available instantly. Results are also easily shareable with your vet, making it easy for everyone to engage with your pet’s health.
Feedback From Pet Owners
So far, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Users tell us that the app provides a tremendous amount of peace of mind for them.
Here are some testimonials from our site:After using Petnostics, I’m so glad we brought our little one to the vet because he does have crystals in his urine. Thanks for creating these tests!
— KristinThe one test we took revealed a couple issues and so the vet ran a full urinalysis and indeed confirmed a UTI. Needless to say, we are very impressed!
— ShaunJust like vitamins or flea medication, your kits are part of my prevention detection process. Totally recommended!
— Diane
Nerves in the ‘Tank’
I was a little nervous for the initial part of the pitch, wanting to make sure I hit all my points. But after that, the Q&A portion with the Sharks felt very natural. It felt like I was having a genuine back-and-forth session with them, and with previous experience pitching VCs, I felt prepared to answer the questions the Sharks asked.
