Petcube, a Ukrainian-American startup which has developed a pioneering connected pet device, today announced the acquisition of PetBot, a Canadian startup operating in the same field. The amount of the deal has not been disclosed, but Petcube indicated that the company’s intellectual property and assets are being acquired.
PetBot presents its Indiegogo-funded device as “the only pet monitor that lets you interact with your pet from anywhere,” allowing you to give treats to your pet, see what they’re up to, get selfies sent to your mobile device.
With the acquisition, Petcube seeks to deepen its expertise in artificial intelligence and develop new products.
PetBot CTO and founder Misko Dzamba will join Petcube to head the company’s AI team and develop new software.
With the transition, PetBot customers will continue to receive ongoing support for the next 12 months, the company stated.
Petcube is about to release its own interactive treat camera, Petcube Bites. Currently available for pre-order, Petcube Bites is presented as “the most advanced treat camera on the market.”
Its features include the ability to fling treats multiple distances, 2 lb container capacity, and automatic treat reordering using Amazon Dash Replenishment.
PetCube founder Yaroslav Azhnyuk’s believes that the pet care industry is at the brink of disruption with some 40 million pet households expected to use a connected pet device by 2022, or half of the projected US pet population.
According to Petcube’s projections, the connected pet category could be valued at $4.2 billion by 2022, not including services provided with these connected devices.
Read more about PetCube in UADN’s previous story.
