Unlike humans, when pets are sick, they can’t tell someone what’s wrong.
This simple truth represents the inspiration behind DIG Labs, a Lebanon-based business established in the summer of 2019 to promote and advance individualized pet healthcare and technology.
Last week, DIG Labs was announced as one of two first-time participants in the state’s Angel Investor Tax Credit Program. Under this program, investors will receive a 20-percent tax credit on eligible investments, as well as an additional 5-percent bonus for investments made in a business meeting various qualifications, including those that are minority- or women-owned.
DIG Labs was the first to receive two investments that were eligible for the 5-percent bonus, and one of 14 businesses in New Jersey’s technology, life sciences and clean energy sectors to receive a combined $12.3 million during the first half of 2020 from 50 investments approved through the program.
Tara Zedayko, a resident of Ringoes and co-founder of DIG Labs, expressed her gratitude for the benefits her business has yielded through the program.
“It means a lot, especially since women are vastly underrepresented when it comes to small businesses and start-ups,” Zedayko said. “Seventy-two-percent of female founders’ lack of access to capital is the number one barrier to starting a business. And in the venture capital world, something like two-percent are female founders.”
“The ability to have an incentive that the state supports to help us get over that funding gap, has been really helpful,” she added.
Zedayko, who received a bachelor’s degree in Materials Science & Biomedical Engineering from Cornell University and her Master’s in Business Administration from NYU Stern, founded the company last year with Jersey City resident Jess Chu after the two met in 2014 while working at a Johnson & Johnson site in Skillman in Somerset County.
Chu, who has a bachelor’s in Business Management at Boston College, also received her Master’s in Business Administration from NYU Stern.
Zedayko, owner of two rescue dogs, and Chu, owner of one rescue dog and a foster parent to over 40 of them, quickly bonded over their shared compassion for four-legged companions — and their shared concerns regarding how to best care for their own.
“One thing I had noticed when it came to caring for my dog — who had an unknown health history and a myriad of digestive issues that were unexplained — was that it’s such a shame that some of the personalized healthcare options that are available for humans are not available for pets,” Zedayko said. “So Jess and I met at Johnson & Johnson, and I had an idea of how I thought we could approach this problem, and Jess and I talked about it, and we decided to work together.”
“The rocket fuel to us becoming committed to bettering the lives of dogs and their healthcare (was that) our dogs were going through ... unexplained tummy issues, lots of icky number twos, that we couldn’t seem to shake,” Chu said.
Tara Zedayko, co-founder of DIG LabsCourtesy — DIG Labs
Chu added they were further united by their interest in the “hard science” of long-term healing for dogs, which they want to explore in place of “providing band-aids to their problems” — a sentiment echoed by Zedayko.
“Jess and I firmly believe that through the power of science there’s a way to see the unseen and to be able to get to a place where we can better understand underlying causes and symptoms before they bubble up into emergency situations,” Zedayko said.
This belief drove the two business partners to manufacture Pup Sup, an all-in-one, personalized supplement designed to meet the specific needs of each dog that consumes. Each individualized supplement is created after first garnering information about the animal through an assessment completed by the owner.
“They basically take a three-minute quiz, where we learn about (their dog’s) breed, their age, their weight, what the owners’ health priorities are ... and we’ve actually developed a proprietary algorithm with a veterinary nutritionist that takes all of those inputs, and then provides the right ingredients that each dog should have in their Pup Sup from a library of about 20 ingredients,” Zedayko explained.
“There are infinite different iterations. Think about it as if you had one multi-vitamin every day that was uniquely formulated for you,” Chu added.
Making Pup SupCourtesy — DIG Labs
According to Zedayko, Pup Sup can also change with a dog’s changing needs and debilitations.
“You don’t need to worry about taking multiple different things if something happens,” Zedayko said. “For example, if you started to lose a lot of hair and you needed your formula adjusted, we handle all of that. So it takes a lot of the guesswork out.”
DIG Labs also seeks to improve the lives of dogs through donating its products to grassroots rescue shelters and foster parents.
According to Chu, this altruism is driven by she and Zedayko’s desire to help dogs successfully “find their second chance” at shelters or meet-and-greets with owners.
“A lot of times these dogs come up with unknown histories, unknown backgrounds, and are not necessarily in the best shape health-wise,” Chu said. “So what’s core to our belief is being able to give back, and give back in a way such that we’re tangibly improving the health of dogs. That way, they can show up in the best way possible and be their happiest, healthiest self.”
The efforts and goals of DIG Labs have remained unchanged during the coronavirus pandemic, Zedayko said.
“Because of the online nature of our business and because we are a food-supplementation provider, and dog food is an essential business and an essential product, we are able to operate,” Zedayko said. “And more and more people are actually adopting and fostering dogs ... now that they’re home more and can make time for them. So we’re really excited to have a solution to offer them at this time where there’s so many new pet parents.”
DIG Labs is actively seeking candidates for two open positions, and has recently hired one for a third.
“We’re excited to be able to add jobs during a time where COVID has obviously had a severe impact on the economy,” Zedayko said. “We’re more than doubling our tiny team of two.”
Marc Saluk, the director of Economic Development for Hunterdon County, described the success of companies like DIG Labs as “invaluable” to Hunterdon County.
“Bio and life sciences are industries we would like to attract and cultivate here in Hunterdon County, so we’re excited that this start-up is thriving locally,” Saluk said. “Hunterdon has the skilled and educated workforce necessary to support these companies and many of our towns would welcome growth in this sector.”
And the growth of this particular industry is not on track to be stopping anytime soon. DIG Labs is currently developing new technology that will help owners better assess their pets’ health by using their smart phones.
A dog and Pup SupCourtesy — DIG Labs
“We’re in stealth mode,” Zedayko said. “We’ve been developing patent-pending pet technology, and we’re excited to launch it in the upcoming months.”
She and Chu’s commitment to continuing to advance pet healthcare and technology reflects their desire to expand upon what Chu pinpointed as one of the most rewarding experiences she’s had throughout the course of the last year — receiving positive feedback from the hundreds of clients that they’ve helped.
“One of the best feelings throughout the course of the last year has been ... when owners reach out to us and say how we’ve helped revolutionize and change their pets’ health,” Chu said. “Whether that was some slowing down or going through injury recovery to now having more energy — all the way through to years of unexplained skin allergy issues — they were finally seeing their dogs have some relief and much more comfort in their own skin.”
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Caroline Fassett may be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
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