Companion Fund
Companion Fund is a venture capital fund operated by Digitalis Ventures in partnership with Mars Petcare, investing growth capital in early-stage animal health companies across veterinary care, nutrition, diagnostics, and pet welfare, with 20+ portfolio companies globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Companion Fund does
Companion Fund is a venture investment fund operated by Digitalis Ventures in partnership with Mars Petcare, focused exclusively on the animal health sector. Founded in 2016 and headquartered at 11 Times Square, Suite 1500A, New York, NY, the fund provides growth capital and operational expertise to early-stage companies developing solutions across veterinary care, nutrition, diagnostics, wearable health, DNA testing, and pet welfare. Portfolio companies gain access to Mars Petcare's global operating footprint of more than 70,000 veterinary associates, 2,500+ clinics and labs, and presence in 130+ countries, which functions as a strategic differentiator against generalist or purely financial animal-health investors.
The fund's portfolio spans 20+ companies including pet insurance (Napo), practice management software (MoeGo), pet nutrition platforms (Omni, Native Pet, Smalls, Made by Nacho), veterinary AI (Travv), payment solutions (Scratchpay), diagnostic imaging (Oncura), automated medical records (Vedi), gene therapy (Rejuvenate Bio), stem cell therapy (Gallant Therapeutics), anti-parasitic therapeutics (Astra Therapeutics), allergen management (Pacagen), end-of-life care (Honor Pet), and consumer brands (Tuft and Paw, Pawp, Dandylion, Mollybox, RiverDog). The fund also operates the Leap Venture Studio accelerator in partnership with Michelsen Found Animals and R/GA Ventures for founders at the earliest stages. Three disclosed exits (PetMedix to Zoetis, ScoutBio to Ceva, Made by Nacho to I and love and you) indicate portfolio maturation and thesis validation.
Companion Fund generates returns through equity investments in portfolio companies, realizing value via acquisitions and public offerings. With a small team (1-10 employees), the fund targets founders from pre-seed through Series B and deploys capital globally, with portfolio exposure across the US, UK, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, and China. Its revenue model is standard venture fund economics: management fees and carried interest on successful exits, with no direct product pricing or SaaS revenue mechanics.
Companion Fund firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Companion Fund
- Legal name
- Companion Fund
- Website
- https://companionfund.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Companion Fund is a venture capital fund operated by Digitalis Ventures in partnership with Mars Petcare, investing growth capital in early-stage animal health companies across veterinary care, nutrition, diagnostics, and pet welfare, with 20+ portfolio companies globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Companion Fund industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Secondary Venture Funds (VC Secondaries) (FSANAAAK)
Keywords
Where Companion Fund is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Companion Fund business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Fund Management and Investment Returns: Companion Fund operates as a venture capital fund generating returns through equity investments in portfolio companies. The fund provides capital to early-stage animal health companies in exchange for ownership stakes, with returns realized through exits via acquisitions or public offerings.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Companion Fund product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Companion Fund is a venture capital fund that invests in early-stage companies leveraging breakthrough science, technology, and design to improve animal health. Operated by Digitalis Ventures in partnership with Mars Petcare, it provides growth capital and operational expertise to founders across stages. The fund also runs the Leap Venture Studio accelerator program in partnership with Michelsen Found Animals and R/GA Ventures for founders at the earliest stages.
Product overview
Companion Fund is a venture investment initiative operated by Digitalis Ventures in partnership with Mars Petcare, providing growth capital and operational expertise to early-stage animal health companies. The fund invests across the animal health spectrum including pet insurance (Napo), practice management software (MoeGo), pet nutrition (Omni, Native Pet), veterinary AI platforms (Travv), payment solutions (Scratchpay), and various pet care brands. Through Mars Petcare's ecosystem of 70,000+ veterinary associates, 2,500+ clinics and labs, and presence in 130+ countries, portfolio companies gain access to industry expertise, distribution channels, and operational support. The fund also offers the Leap Venture Studio accelerator for earliest-stage founders.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Companion Fund Investment Portfolio
- Leap Venture Studio Accelerator
Companies that use Companion Fund
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Companion Fund technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Companion Fund partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Mars PetcarecoreCore strategic partnership with Mars Petcare, the industry leader spanning veterinary care, nutrition, diagnostics, wearable health, DNA testing and pet welfare. The partnership provides portfolio companies access to Mars Petcare's network of 70,000+ associates, 2,500+ clinics and labs, and presence in 130+ countries. Mars Petcare cares for more than 25 million pets each year.
- Michelsen Found AnimalscoreCo-partner in the Leap Venture Studio accelerator program for earliest-stage animal health founders, along with R/GA Ventures.
- R/GA VenturescoreCo-partner in the Leap Venture Studio accelerator program for earliest-stage animal health founders, along with Michelsen Found Animals.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Companion Fund competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Anterra Capital: Sector-specialized venture firm investing in food, agriculture, and animal health companies across early and growth stages. Most direct comparable to Companion Fund given the overlapping animal-health mandate and focus on breakthrough science applied to the food/feed/pet care chain.
- Digitalis Ventures: Parent firm that operates Companion Fund and runs the parallel 'Human Health' investment practice. Comparable as the same management platform with a sibling portfolio and shared operating model — the GP entity underwriting Companion Fund's deals.
Broad incumbents
- Section 32: Venture firm founded by Bill Maris investing in health-tech and biotech at the frontier. Comparable as a sector-specialized healthcare VC with a similar thesis of backing science-driven, category-defining companies.
- ARCH Venture Partners: Long-tenured life-sciences and deep-tech venture firm that has backed multiple breakthrough therapeutics platforms. Comparable in its willingness to underwrite high-risk, science-heavy bets in healthcare-adjacent verticals.
- Lux Capital: Science and technology-focused VC that invests in frontier companies across biotech, health, and emerging interfaces. Comparable for its conviction-driven, science-first investment style and willingness to back non-obvious category creators.
- Khosla Ventures: Large diversified VC with significant activity in health, sustainability, and frontier science. Comparable for the willingness to make thesis-driven, sector-specialized bets at the earliest stages, including in health-adjacent verticals.
- Obvious Ventures: Impact-oriented venture firm investing in companies addressing world-scale problems across health, food, and sustainability. Comparable as a thematic, sector-focused VC with a mission-aligned investment lens.
- Andreessen Horowitz (a16z Bio + Health): Mega-fund with dedicated bio/health and consumer practices actively investing in pet care and consumer health. Comparable for the breadth of capabilities and ability to lead large rounds that smaller sector funds cannot.
- Founders Fund: Generalist deep-tech VC with exposure to consumer-pet, health-tech, and frontier science investments. Comparable for its willingness to back unconventional, science-heavy theses across health and consumer interfaces.
Emerging players
- Cultivation Capital: St. Louis-based life-sciences and tech VC that has backed multiple pet and animal-health companies. Comparable as a smaller, regional fund operating with corporate-strategic LPs in adjacent health verticals.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Companion Fund social profiles
Digital presenceCompanion Fund financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Companion Fund leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Companion Fund funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Companion Fund M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments31 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Companion Fund
What does Companion Fund do?
Companion Fund is a venture capital fund that invests in early-stage companies leveraging breakthrough science, technology, and design to improve animal health. Operated by Digitalis Ventures in partnership with Mars Petcare, it provides growth capital and operational expertise to founders across stages. The fund also runs the Leap Venture Studio accelerator program in partnership with Michelsen Found Animals and R/GA Ventures for founders at the earliest stages.
Is Companion Fund a public or private company?
Companion Fund is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Companion Fund founded?
Companion Fund was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Companion Fund based?
Companion Fund is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Companion Fund make money?
One revenue line is on record: fund Management and Investment Returns.
Who are Companion Fund's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Anterra Capital and Digitalis Ventures. Broad incumbents are Section 32, ARCH Venture Partners, Lux Capital, Khosla Ventures, Obvious Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z Bio + Health) and Founders Fund. Cultivation Capital is listed as an emerging player.
Does Companion Fund have an API?
No public API is recorded for Companion Fund.
What industry is Companion Fund in?
Companion Fund's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAK, Secondary Venture Funds (VC Secondaries). Its NAICS code is 5259 and its SIC code is 6282.