Hong Kong-founded pet food startup Buddy Bites has raised $4.2 million in a Series A funding round led by Digitalis Ventures, with participation from Hong Kong venture investor Adrian Lai. The round marks the company’s first institutional venture funding since its founding in 2020 by Ryan Black and Chris Lee.
Buddy Bites sells premium dog and cat food through a subscription-led model in Hong Kong and Singapore, offering Europe-made, vet-approved, AAFCO-regulated food and treats. The company reports over $6 million in annual recurring revenue, with subscriptions accounting for 85.9% of total revenue. It also operates a shelter donation program, giving 1kg of pet food for every 2kg sold through partnerships with 8 shelters across Hong Kong and Singapore.
The company plans to use the funding to expand its core dog food business, grow its shelter donation program, and develop additional product categories. It launched cat food in Hong Kong and Singapore in June 2026 and plans to introduce shelf-stable fresh dog food later this year. Buddy Bites also intends to enter Taiwan, citing high urban pet ownership rates, as it scales its regional pet nutrition platform.
Why it matters
The round validates the subscription-led pet nutrition model at institutional VC scale in Asia-Pacific, following similar playbooks that have proven successful in Western markets. Digitalis Ventures, a US-based firm focused on food and agriculture technology, brings cross-border validation to the APAC pet food startup ecosystem — a signal that regional subscription brands can now attract global growth capital on the strength of retention metrics rather than physical retail footprint.
Sources
- Digitalis Ventures — Digitalis Ventures
