It’s a sign that dog agility training is a growing market (or that we might be running out of startup ideas), OneMind Dogs announces today it’s raised funding from Lifeline Ventures after previously raising funding from Gorilla Ventures. The company is said to have picked up around €400,000 and produces training videos for dog owners accessible by a €39.90/month plan.
Coming from soft spoken Finland it’s no surprise that OneMind’s philosophy relies on using better body communication rather than verbal commands. “A deaf border collie taught us that connection between human and dog does not need words. We simply need to learn to listen. Every dog in the world speaks this language – and imagine the difference it will make to your dog’s life when you learn it too,” says OneMind on their website.
OneMind seems to have seen good demand before this investment round with dog owners flying in from as far away as Canada to train with the company in person. To fuel growth it looks like OneMind is shooting for a growth model that looks similar to Crossfit gyms. This January the company will launch a pilot training program for 20 coaches who have been selected from eleven different countries with the idea that it will maintain high uniform quality training as it grows across the world.
The United States and Canada have fueled 60% of the company’s turnover which lights up the eyes of Finland’s government funding agency, Tekes, who have accepted the company into their Young Innovative Companies program.
“OneMind Dogs is a distinguishable, fresh and genuinely social business. The goal is that when dog owners around the world need support in training their dogs, OneMind Dogs will be the first company that comes to their mind,” says Petteri Koponen from Lifeline Ventures.
