Introducing DIG labs: Giving Pets a Voice in their Health and Wellness

The problem: pets can’t tell us what’s wrong

Unfortunately, today, owners like us need to rely on nonverbal cues to guess whether our pets are feeling good. Clues like loss of energy, gurgly belly, extreme shedding, anxiety, and more, are easy to overlook. And since our pets can’t communicate, we are often left reacting to an emergency situation – diarrhea, a limp, or a bald spot – because that clue our pet has been trying to send our way was too subtle or we didn’t solve it appropriately.

But what if we could, in fact, give our pets a voice in their own health and wellness? A voice that can allow owners like us to advocate for their needs in a way like never before?

Where our journey started

When we created DIG labs last year, I was on year 10 of addressing unexplainable digestive issues with my 70-lb lovable mutt, Sammy, and Jess was on her 32nd foster dog. Armed with decades of collective guesswork, and inspired by the advances in human healthcare, from precision medicine like CAR-T all the way to personalized beauty care powered by AR/VR and machine learning, we set out to apply human healthcare principles to our own dogs, and by extension, to the pet industry as a whole. In June 2019, I left behind a 14-year career at Johnson & Johnson to dedicate my next chapter to giving pets a voice in their own health and wellness.

The Solution: science-based, at-home health tech

For the past 12 months, in stealth mode, we have been developing science-based tools that can not only optimize food and nutrition choices that owners are making, but, most importantly, provide science-based insights that were only before available with time-consuming, expensive, and complicated laboratory tests - taking a page from human healthcare innovation. We:

•  Created patent-pending computer vision models to analyze images to derive health insights, in real time, at home, at the tap of a button – starting with stool and extending beyond.
• Are turning smartphones into true real-time health tracking tools for pets – no leashes, collars, or wearables required.
• Just wrapped up our second closed-beta with this tech, and armed with pet parent feedback, we're developing the MVP.
• This is all in addition to launching our pup sup product, a personalized, all-in one supplement topper, which is helping dogs live happier, healthier lives.

Next Up: assembling the right team

To take this tech to the next level, armed with venture-backed funding, we are assembling the right team who can launch and scale this technology, so as many pets as possible can benefit from what we’re building.

Right now, we have three open positions: Tech Lead / Head of Engineering, Laboratory Head, and Head, Computer Vision & Machine Learning. We are looking for passionate, pet-loving self-starters and leaders who aren't afraid to challenge the status quo and are excited by the idea of rapidly translating scientific discovery into accessible innovation - at DIG labs, we aren't just developing a product accessible by the top 1%.

Join us in creating the future of individualized, preventive pet healthcare. Apply here with your CV and cover letter, or DM us to learn more. Like ourselves, Jess and I encourage and value the nontraditional career path – if you are excited by what we are building, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You just might be the diamond in the rough we’ve been looking for ????