It isn’t just humans that need to shape up. More and more dogs are either overweight or obese. That’s why Actijoy has introduced what’s being billed as the world’s first health and fitness solution for our overweight pooches. The start-up offers three main parts to get your best friend healthy as soon as possible: a health and fitness tracker, a WiFi enabled water and food bowl and a companion iOS and Android Mobile app.
The idea for Actijoy was born when Robert Hasek started running and took his dog Darwin with him. Although Darwin’s owners assumed their dog was fit because of all the walks and his penchant for chasing tennis balls in his large yard, he was having trouble running.
When the veterinarian confirmed that Darwin was not as backward as he should be in daily life, Hasek and his partner and co-founder, Jana Rosenfelder set out to find a tool to help them with Darwin’s fitness journey. None of the available dog trackers on the market met their needs.
A lot has happened since IO last spoke with Actijoy’s founders. The start-up was selected as one of the five most promising start-ups at the TNW Summit, and made it to the top 25 IoT finalists of the 11th Innovation World Cup. But there was also sad news. In 2019, Darwin passed away. “He was our miniature bull terrier who served as inspiration for Actijoy,” Rosenfelder wrote in a blog.
