Maven and Purrmi launch Pet Hub in Porto to boost pet tech innovation

Portuguese pet tech startups Maven and Purrmi have joined forces to create the first "Pet Hub” in Portugal, a 250-square-metre collaborative space located in downtown Porto. The Pet Hub is designed to accommodate around 80 people and already hosts both companies’ teams — roughly 20 professionals working side by side. The space includes meeting rooms, a multipurpose area for demonstrations, and facilities for workshops, talks, and co-working, encouraging interaction between startups, researchers, and entrepreneurs in the pet tech sector.

 

Maven, co-founded by Guilherme Coelho and Virgílio Bento (also co-founder and CEO of Porto Leading Investor Sword Health), is known for developing AI-Vet, a smart collar sensor that monitors pets’ health and detects early signs of illness. The company has raised a total of $9 million since its creation in 2021, recently reinforcing its AI capabilities and expanding partnerships — including one with Sonae’s Zu pet store network — while continuing its growth in both the U.S. and Portuguese markets.

 

Purrmi, co-founded by João Campaniço, focuses on producing 100% natural cat food from its manufacturing site in Guilhabreu, near Porto. The company recently secured €600,000 in funding, of which €150,000 will be invested in expanding its northern operations and preparing for international growth into Italy, France, and Northern Europe starting in 2026.

 

According to both founders, the partnership and co-location in Porto emerged organically and are aimed at fostering synergy between clinical and technological knowledge — from veterinarians and data scientists to hardware and AI specialists —  with a shared goal to accelerate innovation in pet health.

 

The Pet Hub also plans to host technical workshops, applied research projects, and the world’s largest real-time pet nutrition study, expected to begin in early 2026. Beyond that, Maven and Purrmi are inviting new startups and partners in fields such as remote diagnostics, telehealth, insurance, nutrition, hardware, and analytics to join the ecosystem.

 

Ultimately, the Pet Hub aims to strengthen Portugal’s role in the global pet tech landscape, creating an environment where science, data, and product development intersect to deliver better health outcomes for pets and faster growth for startups.