The client financing service Scratchpay has been named the $25,000 winner of Pet Project 2018, a “Shark Tank”-like competition held at VMX in Orlando, Florida.
Scratchpay, a product of Los Angeles-based Scratch Financial, offers simple payment plans for pet owners seeking immediate access to veterinary care.
The competition brought together five young companies that pitched their veterinary offerings to a panel of judges. The other presenters and their products were:
- VetSpire: Cloud-based veterinary medical records and practice management application.
- Petnostics: At-home tests to identify early warning signs.
- Fuzzy: Comprehensive in-home veterinary care.
- Future Pet: Text messages to clients to begin the intake process and patient history collection.
The judges were:
- Marty Becker, DVM.
- Tom Bohn, CAE, the CEO of the North American Veterinary Community, the host of VMX 2018.
- Jeannine Taaffe, vice president of digital health at Mars Petcare.
- Brock Weatherup, executive vice president of strategic and digital experience at Petco.
The contest co-sponsors were the pet technology brands Whistle and PetCoach.
“The NAVC is proud to join Mars Petcare, Petco, Whistle and PetCoach to support entrepreneurs, help them clear the hurdles startups typically face within the industry and bring their innovative ideas to the veterinary health care world at a faster pace to advance our profession,” Bohn said.
The first installment of Pet Project took place in 2017 at the SuperZoo trade show in Las Vegas.