For the second year running, Big Idea Ventures and Mars Petcare have joined forces to launch the Next Generation Pet Food Program. This year’s program will take place in collaboration with AAK, Bühler, and Givaudan.
The initiative aims to accelerate sustainable innovation in the pet food sector by supporting the development of novel ingredients, sustainable fats and proteins, and advanced processing technologies. It is open to startups from around the world, though APAC-based companies are preferred. Ideally, applications should demonstrate scalable, sustainable solutions with real-world impact.
Companies selected for the program will receive expert guidance, potential commercial partnerships, and the opportunity to showcase their solutions at the Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit in Singapore from November 4–6, 2025.
“We must invest in innovation to help us source the best ingredients and build a future where the planet stays healthy, and where people and their pets are thriving,” said Paul Gardner, Commercial VP, Mars Pet Nutrition. “We’re excited to be launching the second round of this program, harnessing the creativity of startups alongside partners that share our vision.”
“Invaluable insights”
The program took place for the first time in 2024, reportedly receiving an “enthusiastic response”. Winners included BiomeMega, Anomaly Bio, KIDEMIS, String Bio Private Limited, and MiAlgae.
“Working with Mars last year was fantastic!” said Andrew D. Ive, founder and Managing General Partner of Big Idea Ventures. “We want to take the learnings and implement them on a big scale as we continue to search for and develop sustainable solutions for the pet food ecosystem.
“Last year, the teams from Mars Petcare, Bühler, and AAK offered invaluable insights to our startups. Now, by integrating Givaudan into the mix, we will further enhance the resources available to the startups we choose.”
Startups interested in participating in this year’s program must apply here before July 16.
