LONDON — European cat-centric brand KatKin recently received backing from venture capital and private equity Active Partners. The venture capital joins KatKin’s existing investors V3 Ventures by Verlinvest, and Octopus Ventures.
According to Active Partners, the global cat food market is expected to be worth more than $40 billion by 2030 and over 40% of cat owners are interested in fresh food for their felines.
Founded in 2019 by siblings Nikki and Brett O’Farrell, and Ed Westcott, KatKin offers fresh cat food, among other cat health products. The brand’s formulas are made by veterinarians, gently cooked and then frozen to maintain nutrients and flavor.
“KatKin is building an uncompromising brand centered around a hardcore commitment to cats’ wellbeing and health,” said Janice Cargo, partner at Active Partners. “There is a huge opportunity to shake up the unloved cat food market, and KatKin is doing exactly that with its fresh, 100% real meat products and truly differentiated experience for cat parents. We’re excited to work with Brett, Nikki, Ed and the team to support their next phase of growth.”
Since its founding, KatKin has delivered over 35 million fresh meals to 200,000 cats. The brand also announced its first retail partnership with online grocery platform Ocado.
With this latest backing, KatKin plans to fuel its growth in direct-to-consumer (DTC) retail channels, increase awareness of fresh cat food, expand its personnel team, and invest in product innovation.
“We’re building a global, cat-first brand for cat health and wellbeing,” Brett O’Farrell said. “Because every cat parent deserves a brand they can trust to be as uncompromising as them. And we want to change the lives of as many cats as possible — by helping cat parents feed fresh with the 100% real meat that their cats were born to eat. We’re excited for Janice and the Active team to join us on this mission, bringing their deep knowledge and expertise in building world-class brands and scaling businesses.”
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