Maven and Purrmi create pet hub in Porto

Two Portuguese pet startups have joined forces to create a ‘pet hub’ in downtown Porto with plans to bring in more startups to the 250m2 office space.

Maven and Purrmi have created a versatile space for gatherings, meetings, talks, workshops and co-working, and a multi-use area for demonstrations focused on pet health and AI/technology with the two teams from the pet techs working side-by-side.

Guilherme Coelho, co-founder of Maven Pet, a startup that developed a solution (AI-Vet) that allows, through a sensor on the collar, to detect changes in the health of dogs and cats at an early stage, allowing guardians and veterinarians to act as early as possible, describes that “In the space there are clinical (veterinary) and technological (data/AI, product, hardware/IoT) skills, allowing continuous exchange of knowledge that is so necessary in a startup environment”.

The pet tech, whose founders include Virgilio Bento (co-founder of the unicorn Sword Health) raised €4 million in September, 2024, increasing the amount of investment raised since its creation in 2021 to around €8.2 million to boost its expansion to the United States and prepare its entry into the Portuguese market.

Since this latest round, the team has grown to 20, the majority in Portugal where the startup has forged a partnership with Sonae’s Zu stores.

“Today we can carry out readings from a sensor that measures fluctuations in heart frequencies, breathing, and water hydration”, says Guilherme Coelho who adds that the company has felt a greater demand and growth from B2C.

The link with Purrmi in the same premises came about in an organic way says the startup co-founded by João Campaniço which is investing in its 100% natural cat food production factory in Guilabreu in Vila do Conde, close to Maia.

In all, around €150,000 is being invested to 2026, out of a total of €600,000 that it has just raised to fuel its international expansion, starting “in the first half of 2026, with gradual entry into the markets of Italy, France and Northern Europe,” as the CEO of Purrimi recently told ECO.

With a greater presence in the North of Portugal and an idea of being in the hub. Guilherme Coelho explains that this brings together “clinical (veterinarians) and technological (data/AI, product, hardware/IoT) skills in the same space, allowing for the continuous exchange of knowledge that is so necessary in a startup environment.”

It is an experience and synergy that the two startups want to extend to other startups in the sector.

“The hub is open to more startups and partners in animal health and wellbeing (remote diagnosis, tele-health, insurance, nutrition, hardware(IoT) and analytics).

“We are looking for teams that want to share, test, research and learn here in the Portuguese ecosystem,” said the CEO of Maven, Guilherme Coelho.