Vancouver’s Pawsible Ventures Launches $10M Fund and Venture Studio

Canada’s first firm of its kind is creating “the next generation of animal-wellness companies.”

Pawsible Ventures, a venture capital firm and incubator, today announced the launch of its $10 million Fund I to back and co-build the next generation of animal-wellness companies.

“Pet health is one of the fastest-growing industries on the planet, but early stage founders are starved for capital and support,” highlighted Alex Chieng, the firm’s co-founder and CEO. “With Pawsible, we’re not just investing, we’re building. From diagnostics and AI-powered tools to emotional wellness and compounding, our companies will have the capital, IP, and distribution to move fast and make an impact.”

According to Pawsible, even as “pet spending now surpasses baby spending in many households,” the health infrastructure that supports it—from diagnostics and insurance to clinical access—remains broken. A shortage of veterinarians and surge in patient demand have made care “reactive instead of preventative,” while early stage founders looking to innovate in the space continue to face “systemic barriers to funding and scale.”

Pawsible led by an expert, veteran team with a stellar track record

The urgency to build Pawsible now came from Chieng’s own experience. In 2020, he co-founded Vetsie to transform how veterinary professionals delivered care during the pandemic—after waiting three weeks for a clinic appointment for his French Bulldog. Vetsie was accepted into an accelerator run by Mars Petcare’s Leap Venture Studio and became one of North America’s first veterinary telemedicine and AI platforms. In 2024, the company was acquired by Inspire Veterinary Partners, a nationwide network of veterinary practices. Looking back on the journey, Chieng recalled how few resources, mentors, or support networks existed for founders like himself.

Partnering with Chieng to fill that gap is Shafin Diamond Tejani, founder and CEO of Victory Square Technologies, a publicly listed venture capital firm and accelerator. Victory Square has built a global portfolio of more than 40 startups that have generated over $1 billion in shareholder value. This includes Hydreight Technologies, one of North America’s fastest-growing digital health platforms. Tejani’s work building and scaling ventures has earned him recognition as EY Entrepreneur of the Year and Canadian Angel Investor of the Year.

“We’ve built the pipes that connect innovators to patients in human health—now we’re opening those pipes to animal health,” said Tejani. “The next billion-dollar pet health company won’t be born in isolation. It’ll be born inside a studio like Pawsible—with capital, infrastructure, and distribution from day one.”

Capital, hands-on support, and access to distribution

Over the next three years, Pawsible will invest in 15–20 startups, deploying initial checks between $100K and $500K and setting aside reserves for follow-on rounds. Beyond early-stage capital, portfolio companies will have the opportunity to co-create and validate products directly with veterinarians. It’s a way to address what the firm sees as a common mistake among founders in the space—overlooking the needs of both pet owners and veterinarians.

Portfolio companies will also gain access to Victory Square’s extensive distribution network. This includes more than 3,000 nurses and doctors across North America, a national pharmacy and compounding network, clinics and direct-to-consumer telehealth channels, and integrated lab systems supporting diagnostics and preventative care.

Pawsible is now accepting applications for its first cohort, with the goal of laying the foundation for “the next decade of pet health infrastructure.” The fund will target innovations across veterinary care and practice management, diagnostics, biohealth and insurance, AI and automation tools, behavioral and emotional wellness, and personalized pharmaceuticals and wellness products.

“Targeting the $250B+ global pet care economy, Pawsible Ventures is igniting the next wave of innovation at the intersection of AI, biotech, and compassion, powering the founders who will define the future of life with pets,” the firm highlighted in a press release.

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