Hoomanely Raises $1.8M to Build AI-Powered Pet Health Monitoring Platform

Hoomanely, a Palo Alto-based pet technology startup, has raised $1.8 million in pre-seed funding to develop an AI-powered platform designed to help dog owners identify potential health problems earlier.

The startup combines a sensor-equipped smart feeding station called EverBowl with an AI platform that monitors changes in a dog's eating and drinking behavior. By turning everyday feeding routines into a continuous source of health data, Hoomanely aims to give pet owners and veterinarians more information that could help identify potential issues sooner.

A Smart Feeding Bowl for Monitoring Pet Health

Hoomanely's EverBowl is designed to collect multiple types of data while a dog eats and drinks. The smart feeding station measures food and water consumption, eating speed, chewing and swallowing sounds, oral movements and facial temperature signals.

The information collected by the device is analyzed through Hoomanely's AI platform, which creates an individual baseline for each dog. When the system identifies prolonged changes from that baseline, the information is presented to owners through the company's app and long-term health reports.

The company believes feeding routines offer a useful environment for monitoring pets because dogs generally eat and drink in a consistent location and follow similar routines every day.

Creating Individual Health Baselines

Instead of relying on a single measurement, Hoomanely's platform builds a long-term health record for each animal.

Owners can also add information manually through the application, allowing the system to incorporate events and observations that cannot be captured by the smart bowl.

The company says changes in appetite, hydration and eating behavior can sometimes accompany conditions involving dental health, digestion, endocrine changes, pain and illness.

Hoomanely is not positioning the technology as a replacement for veterinarians. Instead, the platform is designed to highlight unusual patterns that could encourage owners to seek professional veterinary care sooner.

5 Million Data Points From Beta Testing

Hoomanely says it spent 18 months testing its platform and collected approximately 5 million data points from more than 80 dogs.

During the beta period, the system identified changes in one dog's eating patterns that were later associated with a chipped tooth that was beginning to become infected.

In another case, the platform detected sustained changes in the dog's eating and temperature patterns. The changes prompted the owner to visit a veterinarian, where the dog was diagnosed with tick fever.

However, Hoomanely acknowledges that its early testing remains limited. The company has shipped approximately 50 devices so far, and its initial testing group consisted of fewer than 100 dogs.

Clinical Validation Remains a Key Challenge

Hoomanely has not yet established independent sensitivity, specificity or false-positive rates for clinical events. Establishing those metrics would require larger studies comparing the platform's alerts with actual veterinary diagnoses.

The company plans to use its existing data to conduct formal veterinary studies and evaluate how effectively the system performs across a larger population of dogs.

The planned studies are expected to measure sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and false-positive rates for individual alert categories.

This research could help determine whether Hoomanely's technology can move from an early-stage consumer monitoring product toward a more clinically useful animal health platform.

A $29 Monthly Subscription Model

Hoomanely currently offers its EverBowl alongside access to its app and health reports through a subscription priced at $29 per month.

The combination of hardware and recurring software revenue gives the company a model in which the value of the platform can increase as more health data is collected over time.

The startup is also developing additional devices to expand the amount and variety of information it can gather from pets.

Expanding Beyond the Smart Bowl

Hoomanely plans to introduce EverSense, a wearable device designed to monitor movement and rest patterns.

The company is also developing EverHub, which will be able to receive information from third-party devices such as smart collars, feeders and connected home devices.

By combining information from multiple sources, Hoomanely aims to create a broader picture of an animal's behavior, environment and health.

Building an Animal Health Data Company

Hoomanely's long-term ambition goes beyond selling smart pet products.

The company wants to become an animal health data business that can use information collected through its devices to support research and potentially serve industries such as pet nutrition and insurance.

The startup also believes its technology could eventually be used with animals beyond dogs. Because the platform is focused on collecting behavioral and physiological data, Hoomanely sees potential applications for cats, livestock and horses.

Preparing for Its Next Funding Round

Following its $1.8 million pre-seed round, Hoomanely is beginning conversations for a seed funding round.

The company plans to use future funding to expand its device portfolio, collect larger datasets, conduct veterinary studies and continue developing its AI-powered health monitoring platform.

With EverBowl and its planned ecosystem of connected devices, Hoomanely is betting that everyday pet behavior can become a valuable source of continuous health data, helping owners recognize potential changes and giving veterinarians more information when professional care is needed.