From luxury fashion to premium dog food: Founders of Alibaba-backed Mei.com dive into pet care
Many people strive to eat a healthy and balanced diet, but the concept of healthy eating can encompass humans and their furkids.
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Leveraging this lifestyle choice is Japan-based ecommerce player Wan-Tomo. Through its Leo & Lea website, the startup delivers premium and nutritious dog food across the country.
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Leo & Lea’s founding team is planning to broaden its footprint beyond Japan, particularly in China, South Korea, Taiwan, and more developed Southeast Asian countries.
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The startup was established in 2017 by serial entrepreneurs Alexandre Monteux, Alain Soulas, and Olivier Chouvet – the trio behind Chinese luxury sales site Mei.com (Glamour Sales). The platform received US$100 million in strategic investment from Alibaba in 2015.
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Leo & Lea dog food packaging. / Photo credit: Leo & Lea
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Leo & Lea provides pet owners with a convenient and better food option for their canines. It claims to be the only player in Japan to offer tailor-made, additive-free, and “human-edible” dog food that features Japanese beef as its main ingredient.
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Customers start by completing a short profile of their dogs on the website. Its proprietary algorithm calculates each dog’s nutritional needs and recommends the optimal recipe.
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The order is then delivered in customized packaging – with pictures of the specific dog, its name, a dedicated recipe, and the daily serving portion – to the customer’s doorstep.
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Going beyond dog food, Leo & Lea also provides products and services that help pet owners with wellness and healthcare.
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The platform makes use of digital marketing and data analytics “to create an entire ecosystem dedicated to dog care – from food supplements, accessories, and toys to services like medical and insurance,” said Leo & Lea in a statement.
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To support its growth, marketing efforts, and recipe development, the startup has raised US$900,000 in a pre-series A fundraising from undisclosed private investors.
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Leo & Lea believes that pet food ecommerce remains an untapped vertical in Asia despite the large population of tech-savvy pet owners and a growing demand for qualitative and healthy products in the region.
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It is currently preparing for an upcoming US$5 million series A funding round to bankroll its international expansion.
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Gereje Corporate Finance, a Singapore-based independent M&A firm, led Leo & Lea’s negotiations with investors for the startup’s pre-series A round. Gereje will oversee the startup’s series A fundraising negotiations.