World’s First Dog Coat Stripper, Patented By a Finnish Startup, Is Already Used In At Least 26 Countries
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
20th August 2019
All wire-haired dogs should be groomed regularly by removing the old hair by plucking (also known as stripping) it amongst the new hair. Traditionally, plucking is done manually by fingers, which is slow and highly straining on the fingers.
Karhia Innovations Ltd has developed and patented the world's first coat stripper, KarhiaPro, which speeds up the stripping, eliminates strain on fingers and produces a smoother trimming pattern.
KarhiaPro has been granted a patent in Finland, Europe and the United States. Already, the product has users in at least 26 countries around the world.
“We’ve delivered KarhiaPro trimmers through our own online store to 26 countries across Europe and all the way to Australia and Colombia. In addition, there are probably other countries to which our dealers have sold the machine”, says Sami Ristaniemi, co-founder and CEO of the company.
Millions of dogs feel bad because they’re not groomed frequently
Based on Karhia’s estimations, in Europe alone there are over 12 million wire-haired dogs. Many of them are not feeling as well as they should because their coat is not groomed regularly.
“The traditional hand-stripping is extremely slow and stressful on the fingers. Hand-stripping can take several hours even from a professional groomer and easily cost more than hundred euros for the owner, ”says Silvia Walle, Karhia Product Manager and trained groomer.
The slowness and stress on the fingers has led many dog owners to groom their dogs far too rarely, once a year or even less frequently. This affects not only the appearance of the dog but also its well-being.
A wire-haired dog should be groomed at least four times a year, and more often if the coat is wanted to be kept clean and good-looking at all times.
“Our product makes coat stripping much easier. Many of our users groom their dogs with our device up to once a month”, says Walle.
Looking for growth in the massive North and South American markets
The company is looking for scaling its business especially in the North and South American markets, where dogs are a popular member of the family.
“According to a study by research firm GfK, every other US household has a dog. In Mexico and Argentina, dogs are even more common pets, ”says Sami Ristaniemi.
Dogs, like other pets, are also increasingly recognized as equal members of the family, and this is reflected in the increasing use of money in pet supplies.
“Grand View Research estimated the global pet supplies market to be worth USD 131.7 billion in 2016, and to grow to USD 202.6 billion by 2025,” Ristaniemi continues.
To boost growth, the company has launched a share issue on investment firm Invesdor. More information on the share issue: (https://www.invesdor.com/pitches/102)
Further information:
Sami Ristaniemi
CEO
sami.ristaniemi@karhia.com
+358 40 548 0757
Karhia Innovations Ltd
Karhia Innovations Ltd is a Finnish startup company that has launched the world's first coat stripper, KarhiaPro. The trimmer is patented in Finland, Europe and the US and is already used in over 26 countries around the world. Before the ongoing funding round the company has received funding for more than 0,5 million euros e.g. from Business Finland, Finnvera and private investors.
Images (Karhia Innovations Press Kit):
https://drive.google.com/open?id=17sIHbEwTFmaJ3rWIROuQB27wXvILGMnQ
Sources:
Grand View Research: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-pet-care-market
About Invesdor Group
Invesdor Group is a pan-European digital investment and financing platform for companies of all life stages, from startups to large corporations. Through its parent company, Invesdor Ltd, it holds a MiFID II license and offers a wide range of digital financing solutions. Today, Invesdor Group has over 50,000 registered users from 150 countries who have invested more than 130 MEUR. https://www.invesdor.com/en