As pet parents return to work in a post-pandemic world, many may be worried about how their furry little loved ones are going to cope. San Francisco-based platform Companion is launching a new device to help pets adjust to their newfound loneliness.
Companion’s at-home training device was created to help teach dogs basic obedience skills without the presence of an owner. The device uses a combination of computer vision and machine learning to detect and analyze their movements and behaviors.
On Wednesday, the San Francisco-based startup announced $8 million in new financing to begin shipping its training device to early adopters. The technology has been privately offered in the Bay Area since 2018.
“The Companion is the first step in creating more understanding with all of the animals around us. We know understanding inherently drives empathy,” CEO John Honchariw said in a statement. “We help enable and foster extraordinarily deep bonds with the dogs we love and this is just the start.”
Companion users can get started by signing up via the company’s mobile app. From there, users provide information about their dog to one of Companion’s training coaches. Coaches are available to provide virtual guidance every step of the way via the app’s chat function.
The Companion device relies on a host of proprietary data and algorithms to learn more about your dog as it continues training. The device trains dogs to understand commands such as sit, down, stay and recall. If training is going well, the device rewards dogs with a treat as a form of positive reinforcement.
“The Companion service is exactly what dog owners who are returning to the office need,” Patrick Gallagher, managing partner at Tuesday Capital, a participating investor, said in a statement. “The pandemic has brought about unprecedented dog adoption rates and as the world begins to move back to normal, those dogs are going to need [someone] to stay at home with them.”
Companion isn’t the only pet-friendly Bay Area company to receive fresh financing this week. On Tuesday, San Francisco-based veterinary care startup Fuzzy closed on its Series B.
Companion is now hiring for two full-time remote engineering positions.
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