Starting with any relevant education, walk me through the twists and turns of your career to date? How did one opportunity lead to the next + what was the key takeaway/ experience in each role + how did this lead you to where you are now) and what was the pivotal moment that put you on your current founder path?
In the world of cat lovers, Cecelia, affectionately known as Cece, stands as a passionate advocate for feline companions. Her lifelong journey as a cat owner, often tending to the needs of four or more cats simultaneously, paints a vivid picture of her unwavering love for these graceful creatures. But her story goes beyond mere devotion; it's a tale of transformation and innovation in the feline space.
Cece's deep affection for cats was evident from the very beginning. Growing up, she shared her life with these enchanting beings, forming bonds that would last a lifetime. However, her keen eye soon spotted a glaring gap in the world of cat care—the lack of innovation. Despite her profound love for felines, she couldn't help but notice that the industry had been relatively stagnant when it came to catering to their needs.
Her journey into the pet industry began as she joined BrightPet Nutrition Group, a leading manufacturer of super-premium dog and cat foods. Here, she dove headfirst into the realm of pet nutrition, consumer insights, e-commerce, and pet food branding. Her dedication and expertise led her to a pivotal role on the pet innovation team with the J.M. Smucker Company, where she continued to shape the future of pet care.
Yet, despite her remarkable career, Cece yearned for something more—a way to leave an indelible mark on the lives of pet parents and their beloved cats. She envisioned a world where feeding wet meals to cats was no longer a messy and frustrating ordeal but an enjoyable experience. It was in this moment of inspiration that the seed for BistroCat was sown.
...with her co-founder Peter, determined to create something that would forever transform the way pet parents cared for their feline companions.
With a passion that burned brighter than ever, Cece embarked on her entrepreneurial journey, partnering with her co-founder Peter, determined to create something that would forever transform the way pet parents cared for their feline companions. BistroCat was born out of her unwavering commitment to innovation and her profound love for cats.
The journey was not without its challenges, but Cece's relentless spirit and deep understanding of both the pet industry and the needs of cat owners propelled her forward. BistroCat is set to be the solution—a revolutionary concept that will simplify the feeding of wet cat food, making it not just convenient but delightful.
Can you provide a quick summary of the technology/ area of innovation and its potential application?
BistroCat is the world’s first automated wet cat food dispenser that requires no refrigeration. Set to launch Q1 2024, BistroCat eliminates the frustration and mess that comes with serving a traditional wet canned diet to cats. Our omni-patented feeder automatically delivers wet meals to cats so that pet parents can be there for their cats, even when they’re not at home. Consumers simply preload up to 16 BistroPods into the device, schedule feedings conveniently from their phones, and let BistroCat handle the rest. Our product even includes self-cleaning technology for a truly hands-off feeding experience.
BistroCat is the world’s first automated wet cat food dispenser that requires no refrigeration.
In partnership with some of the most beloved pet food brands on the market, we provide consumers with a diverse range of food choices. Think of us as the Keurig of wet cat food, where Keurig has k-cups, BistroCat introduces BistroPods.
We know that cats can be finicky when it comes to their food, so we’ve designed BistroCat to track eating behaviours for a customized mealtime. By fully utilizing the built in camera and technology, BistroCat captures insights on feeding preferences and trends. These critical data points help pet parents identify their cat's favourite recipes while monitoring their cat's health. Our system can send push notifications through the app to alert users of any significant changes in feeding patterns, a crucial early warning sign for potential health issues. Furthermore, we’re diligently implementing AI technology to enhance our health platform even further, reaffirming our commitment to your cat’s well-being.
What stage are you at?
Pre-launch/pre-revenue – moving to production with an early 2024 ship date.
Discuss the biggest challenges of getting to this point? With the benefit of hindsight, what would you have done differently if anything?
The greatest challenges we are facing surround the success of our food brand partners. Much like Keurig partners with brands to package coffee in K-Cups, we rely on strong brand partners to package their food in BistroPods. For us, success is having at least four brands onboarded and shipping at our launch date and then growing our portfolio of partnerships over time. To mitigate the timeline risk for securing partnerships, we have developed a strategic program to incentivize brands. First, we believe we will double our partner’s revenue and triple gross profits with our unique pricing structure, all while providing access to product and consumer data – something brands cannot easily (Or affordably) access today. We also break down the DTC barriers for our brands as we manage the logistics and cover all shipping costs. Additionally, we have developed our own food line, Cat Gourmet, to protect inventory levels.
How have you approached funding?
I’m excited to share that we’re officially post-prototype and moving into commercialization. To date, we’ve raised over $900k from angel investors, allowing us to hit our production ready milestones. The funds raised were used to finalize our prototype, submit our patents, and launch our private label food brand, Cat Gourmet. Now that our foundational work is complete, we are focused on commercialization. Our next steps include full scale production, investing in marketing campaigns, and growing our food brand partnerships. To do this, we are currently raising our seed round.
What has the been the greatest source of help/ guidance along the way?
At BistroCat, we have an incredible team. Our team embodies agility, efficiency, and effectiveness. At the helm is our CEO, Cece, who brings a wealth of invaluable experience from her tenure at organizations including BrightPet and The J.M. Smucker Company. Cece understands how to build and scale successful brands in the pet space. Complimenting Cece’s expertise are our seasoned entrepreneurs, Peter, Jeff, Matt, and Ryan - each boasting a track record of achieving prosperous exits from previous ventures. Peter shines in the realms of technology and software, while Jeff offers critical knowledge in hardware development. Matt and Ryan have dedicated the lion’s share of their careers to the art of marketing/operations. Together, we embrace the bootstrap mentality, achieving substantial progress while maintaining minimal capital requirements. Additionally, we have built an amazing advisory board filled with leaders such as Dr. Matt McGLasson, DVM, Steve Seabolt, Business Development and Marketing Advisor, David Schwab, Hyper-Networker, Dr. Rob Coultous, PhD Veterinarian, Donna Bowden, Food Advisor from BNG, Kristin Wuhrman, Feline Expert and Veterinary Thought Leader, and Dave Wardell DTC Advisor from CHubbies.
Best advice you’d pass on to other founders?
As my grandpa Conti always said, “Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.” I believe that if you have a passion and grit, you can do it all. Times will inevitably get challenging, and fundraising can keep you up at night, but remembering your mission and your why will make is all worth it.
Times will inevitably get challenging, and fundraising can keep you up at night, but remembering your mission and your why will make is all worth it.
What do you think are broadly the biggest needs and opportunities in the Animal Health and Petcare markets?
Feline care and innovation and innovative technology.
What’s going to have the single biggest impact on change in your area of the market?
We know that the global wet cat food market is outpacing the entire pet food industry, growing at a 5.7% CAGR. We also know that the DTC channel in pet is growing at a 28% CAGR. This tells us that cats and their owners are hungry for convenience and paying more attention to the health benefits of wet foods. BistroCat will impact 1 in 3 Americans that own a cat and finally bring meaningful innovation to their believed felines. Our technology solves for convenience, connection, and cuisine - three important factors in raising a healthy and happy cat.
What do the next two years have in store for you?
We’re driven by a vision that goes beyond just revolutionizing the way pet parents nourish their cats. We aspire to establish a comprehensive feline health platform that transforms the landscape of cat care. Our vision for BistroCat is to not only improve the way pet parents feed their cats, but to provide the platform through which we can create a true health platform for feline care. Our technology offers critical tracking capabilities to monitor feeding behaviours, and we plan to take this innovation to the next level. We have a strong innovation pipeline built and are excited to have everyone follow our journey.
