Datamars, a global leader in identification and data management solutions for the pet, livestock, and textile markets, announced today that it has acquired Kippy S.r.l., the Italian pet care company that develops and manufactures IoT devices capable of locating and monitoring the health of pets, marking a natural expansion of its global offering to pet owners. The transaction was coordinated by Growth Capital, Italy's leading advisor in extraordinary finance operations for startups and scaleups, acting as the sole financial advisor for Kippy.
With this partnership, Datamars strengthens its market-leading solution for pet location and reunification, having already identified over 50 million pets and helped reunite thousands of lost animals with their owners.
Kippy’s collar GPS device tracks the activity and location of pets in real time, providing detailed information and reports directly to pet owners through a smartphone app. In addition to location tracking, owners can easily check if their pet is getting enough physical activity. Kippy is also one of the few solutions on the market that combines GPS tracking with communication and engagement features, such as personalized messaging and a social network within the app.
Founded in 2013 in Milan by friends and Co-CEOs Marco Brunetti and Simone Sangiorgi, Kippy will join Datamars, along with its entire team, to continue developing the pet tracking and monitoring business.
Kippy will therefore become an important part of Datamars' pet care ecosystem, which spans from identification to health and activity monitoring, to reunification solutions, all supported by a digital environment for customers and support services.
Kippy recently participated in the third batch of the A-Road acceleration and fundraising program, which provided continuous training, mentorship, and tailored professional services to support the company's growth.
Previously, with the support of Growth Capital, Kippy convinced institutional investors such as Oltre Impact (lead investor in the 2022 round) and Azimut Libera Impresa (lead investor in the 2021 round), as well as gaining the trust of several Italian business angels, including Carlo Tassi, president of IAG and Kippy's first investor.
“We are proud to have supported Marco and Simone from the first rounds of investment to the exit phase, helping Kippy grow its business and solidify its position in the market, culminating in the partnership with Datamars. This recent acquisition by an international player is a recognition of the value created by the two founders and the potential of Kippy in the rapidly growing pet care sector, as well as a confirmation of the interest from foreign investors in the Italian innovation ecosystem,” concluded Andrea Casati, Vice President, Growth Capital.
Growth Capital acted as the sole financial advisor for Kippy, providing support and coordination for the transaction.
