You never want to leave your dog in a hot car, but sometimes a quick errand necessitates leaving your furry friend behind for a minute or two and the car heats faster than expected.
Do you keep the car and air conditioning on? Roll down the windows? And how long is too long? We’ve all had these questions before.
After a hiking trip with his dog Clovis years ago, William Loopesko faced the same dilemma.
He wanted to grab a bite to eat but didn’t want to leave Clovis in the car for too long. So, he frantically ran out of the restaurant every five minutes to check on his four-legged companion.
Loopesko knew there had to be a better way to monitor a dog’s condition in the car.
“The problem is a lot of people are doing this and not doing it as safely as they can,” he said of leaving dogs in the car.
He began developing a portable air conditioner for pets. Despite garnering interest on the prototype, he struggled to build the giant piece of hardware.
About two and a half years ago he pivoted from the portable AC and launched Denver’s PuppTech, a startup that monitors your dog’s condition in the car and reports back to an app on your phone.
PuppTech’s primary product is the PuppComm, a cloud-connected environment monitoring device that is compact enough to fit anywhere in your car.
The PuppComm transmits temperature data directly to PuppTech’s app, alerting owners when temperatures spike and animals are uncomfortable.
The app is powered by PuppTech’s BSCUIT technology, an algorithm that takes a dog’s size and breed into account to determine what temperature’s they’re comfortable at.
PuppTech developed the app in tandem with Raika Technologies, a Denver-based incubator with a focus on helping startups build apps.
“They really are experts, not just in developing apps but in understanding how apps become businesses,” Loopesko said of Raika.
PuppTech took part in Raika’s Apptrepreneur Startup Program to help build and test the validity of the ideas.
“PuppTech is an ideal example of why the Apptrepreneur Startup Program is so important,” said Cynthia Delaria, CEO of Raika Technologies. “Initially, William wanted to build air conditioners for dogs out of coolers. With a little redirection, strategy and targeting, PuppTech had a very successful IndieGoGo campaign, and is on target for delivery this summer.”
The IndieGoGo campaign wrapped up in September, raising $46,118 from 213 backers. PuppTech is in the process of finalizing its first product with hopes to ship to backers and pre-orders soon. The product costs $165 and is available for pre-order on PuppTech’s website.
Loopesko said the company’s primary customers are truckers, people doing dog shows, hunters and anyone that drives long distances with their dogs as co-pilots.
PuppTech has six full-time employees and continues to develop its physical product, app and algorithm to better service dogs and dog-owners. Loopesko said the team is focused on building out the predictive side of the algorithm to alert owners to potential dangers before they even happen.
