We believe every dog deserves better food — and every meal should leave the planet better than we found it.

Dog & Whistle makes human-grade, upcycled dog food and treats, and backs every product with real nutrition education. This isn't just pet food. This is a movement — and we're raising $500,000 to take it national.

The Problem

The pet food industry hasn't caught up with the pet parent.

Today's shelves are full of ultra-processed ingredients, fillers and by-products, opaque supply chains, and unsustainable manufacturing — with almost no real nutritional education for the people buying the bag.

Meanwhile, pet parents have changed. 67% of Gen Z pet parents prioritize sustainability, and 73% discover new brands through social media. Nearly 45% of Millennials use technology to monitor their pets' health. 59% of Gen X owners say they're willing to pay more for healthier food. And 74% of Baby Boomers consider their pets family. The industry hasn't moved. We built Dog & Whistle to meet pet parents where they already are.

Our Solution: One Brand, Three Unfair Advantages

Human-Grade Nutrition — Chef-crafted, upcycled recipes made from ingredients fit for human consumption. No fillers, no by-products, no compromise.

Upcycled Ingredients — We partner with the Upcycled Food Association to source surplus human-grade ingredients, cutting food waste and our COGS at the same time.

Education-First Brand — Can My Dog Eat This?, our 24-episode content series, turns nutrition education into our lowest-cost customer acquisition channel.

Together, these power a full product ecosystem: treats, meals, toppers, a chew bone, content, and community.

Why Now

Four forces are converging, and the window is now:

1. $150B — projected size of the U.S. pet industry by 2030 (8% CAGR)
2. 3x — growth in pet wellness supplements, 2020–2024
3. $32B — total pet wellness market, versus $11B for food alone
4. 67% — of Gen Z pet parents who prioritize sustainability

Premiumization, humanization, sustainability, and education are reshaping the category all at once. Integrated platforms that combine food, content, and community win. Fragmented suppliers lose.

Market Opportunity

Dog & Whistle sits at the intersection of several of the fastest-growing segments in the pet industry.

1. Nutritious Pet Food – $11B market growing at 5% annually. This is our core business with our human-grade meals and meal toppers.
2. Functional Treats – $9.4B market growing at 12% annually. Our Chickpea Training Nibs and future B.A.R.K. Bone are positioned within this rapidly expanding category.
3. Pet Content & Community – $1B+ market growing at 15% annually. Our educational series, Can My Dog Eat This?, builds trust, drives customer acquisition, and creates long-term brand loyalty.
4. Pet Health & Data – $2B+ market growing at 25% annually. As we continue to grow, we see opportunities to expand into personalized nutrition, wellness insights, and technology-enabled pet health solutions.

Our initial focus is simple: execute exceptionally in premium nutrition while building the trusted brand that allows us to expand into these adjacent categories over time.

Our goal isn't to capture the entire market. Our 48-month target is $2.5 million in annual revenue—representing only a tiny fraction of the multi-billion-dollar opportunity ahead.We sit at the intersection of the fastest-growing segments in a $32B+ market.

Traction: Four Years of Real Execution

1. 2022 — Company launched, first products to market, DTC site live, Amazon.com
2. 2023 — Target Accelerator alum, Times Square activation, Upcycled Food Association member
3. 2024 — SXSW, BET on Black, Walmart.com
4. 2025 — Retail expansion, new product lines
5. 2026 — Chewy.com approval (launching Q3), Can My Dog Eat This? series, national rollout begins

Every milestone was earned, not bought — with commercial relationships across Chewy, DogTV, Target, Walmart, the Upcycled Food Association, and Amazon.com.

The numbers show product-market fit:

1. ~$100K annual revenue, growing 8–10% month over month
2. $280 customer LTV against a $35 CAC — an 8x ratio, well above the industry average of 3–5x
3. 86% of revenue comes from active subscribers
4. ~30% repeat purchase rate, growing toward a 45% target
5. 20+ retail partners, with the Chewy launch adding national scale in Q3 2026

Business Model: Six Revenue Streams, One Brand Flywheel

1. DTC Subscriptions — recurring monthly orders via dogandwhistle.com, our highest-margin channel
2. Chewy.com — national launch Q3 2026, access to 20M+ active pet households
3. Retail / Wholesale — 25+ locations today, targeting 500 by end of 2027
4. Media Sponsorships — DogTV partnership and content series monetization
5. B.A.R.K. Chew Bone — edible, compostable bone launching Q1 2027 at a 73% gross margin
6. Licensing / White Label — the Nibble & Wag JV, a 25% royalty stake with zero manufacturing capex

Every channel reinforces the others: education drives subscriptions, subscriptions drive retail, retail drives brand.

Products

Every product starts with one question: would you eat it?

1. Chickpea Training Nibs — upcycled chickpeas, three flavors, coming to Chewy Q3 2026
2. Meal Toppers — chef-crafted whole-food toppers that enhance any kibble
3. Complete Meals — gently cooked, human-grade, subscription-first
4. B.A.R.K. Komposite Bone — edible and compostable, made from upcycled soy hulls, hemp, and wheat straw, ASTM-certified, 73% margin

Every product shares the same standard: no artificial preservatives, no fillers, human-grade ingredients, upcycled wherever possible.

Competitive Advantage

Competitors can copy one moat. They can't copy all four. Against Farmer's Dog, Ollie, FreshPet, and JustFoodForDogs, Dog & Whistle is the only brand combining human-grade quality, upcycled/certified sourcing, education and content, a true retail + DTC + Chewy footprint, a founder-led story, a media partnership, and an LTV:CAC ratio above 8x.

Go-to-Market: Education Creates Customers. Customers Create Community. Community Creates Scale.

1. Educate — Can My Dog Eat This?, DogTV, social content → 5M+ monthly Google searches
2. Acquire — organic SEO, paid social, influencer, email → $35 CAC vs. an $80–120 industry range
3. Convert — DTC subscription, Chewy, retail → $45 AOV, targeting $60
4. Retain — 86% recurring revenue, subscription model → $280 LTV
5. Expand — upsell treats, toppers, and the Chew Bone → LTV grows with the product line
6. Amplify — community shares content, referrals, press → a self-reinforcing organic growth loop

We estimate $300K+ in annual CAC savings from organic content alone. Education is our moat and our marketing budget.

The Ask

We're raising $500,000 to reach $2.5M in annual revenue within 48 months.

Use of Funds

1. Inventory & Working Capital — 40% ($200K)
2. Sales & Marketing — 25% ($125K)
3. Operations & Fulfillment — 15% ($75K)
4. Product Development — 10% ($50K)
5. Team Growth — 10% ($50K)

What this unlocks, by milestone:

1. Q3 2026: Scale inventory for the Chewy launch, expand fulfillment capacity, support national wholesale growth
2. Q4 2026: Launch all 24 episodes of Can My Dog Eat This?, accelerate subscription growth, invest in customer acquisition
3. 2027: Commercialize the Dog & Whistle Chew Bone, expand to 500+ retail locations, launch additional sustainable products

Expected outcomes: $2.5M annual revenue, a national Chewy launch, 500+ retail locations, 3,000 active subscribers, all 24 educational episodes released, and a company positioned for a Series Seed / growth round.

Meet the Founder

Eric Adams, Founder & CEO 18+ years of culinary leadership · restaurant executive · industry speaker · Upcycled Food Association member

Eric spent 18+ years as a restaurant executive and chef before founding Dog & Whistle — bringing human-grade culinary standards to every recipe the brand makes. He's taken Dog & Whistle from zero to national retail in under four years, building partnerships with Target, Walmart, Chewy, DogTV, and BET on Black. He's spoken at SXSW and BET on Black and been featured in national media, building what he believes is the first education-led, sustainability-certified pet nutrition brand in America.

"The most dangerous founder is one who has both the culinary credibility and the business execution to back it up."

Advisors & Partners

Backed by the brands that define the industry: Chewy, DogTV, Target, Walmart, the Upcycled Food Association, Opportunity Village, the Illinois Soybean Association, and NIU Bioplastics.

1. Chewy.com — approved vendor, launching Q3 2026, access to 20M+ active pet households
2. DogTV — official content partner, distributing Can My Dog Eat This? to 5M+ households
3. Upcycled Food Association — certified member, one of fewer than 200 brands in the U.S. with this designation

These aren't aspirational logos. Every partnership on this list represents a signed agreement or active commercial relationship.

Building the Most Trusted Education-Driven Pet Nutrition Company in America

The category is ready. The brand is built. The traction is real. This round funds acceleration.

Eric Adams Founder & CEO, Dog & Whistle [email protected] · dogandwhistle.com